{"id":483,"date":"2014-07-09T01:44:00","date_gmt":"2014-07-09T01:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=483"},"modified":"2015-01-21T11:47:38","modified_gmt":"2015-01-21T16:47:38","slug":"woodville-state-hospitals-rise-and-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/07\/09\/woodville-state-hospitals-rise-and-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"Woodville State Hospital\u2019s rise and fall"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dec. <\/a>
Dec. 7, 1952: A caption with this photo said LIKE SARDINES and noted the male ward inmates had to enter bed in shifts to fit everyone in. (Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Shuffleboard <\/a>
Shuffleboard in the recreation hall at Woodville State Hospital in an undated photo. (Credit: Unknown) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The County Poorhouse, built in the early 1900s, was demolished in 1971. They became unoccupied in 1958 when county indigent were moved to Kane Hospital. (Donald J. Stetzer\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Aug. <\/a>
Aug. 15, 1973: The painting, under examination by a Woodville nurse and patients, was donated to Woodville State Hospital. (Albert M. Herrmann\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Feb. <\/a>
Feb. 10, 1983: Entrance to Woodville State Hospital. (Mark Murphy\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Feb. <\/a>
Feb. 10, 1983: Woodville State Hospital sign and driveway, with a plea for its continued existence. The facility would not close for another eight years after this image. (Mark Murphy\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Feb. <\/a>
Feb. 22, 1991: After Gov. Casey announced his intention to close Woodville, hospital clerk\/typist Vevette McCaskey and many others rallied against the idea. (Tony Tye\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"2014: <\/a>
2014: A sign for The Villages at Neville Park exists at the former entrance to Woodville. (Ethan Magoc\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

In the middle of the 20th century, Woodville State Hospital faced a problem.<\/p>\n

It was really, really crowded.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph ran a photo in 1952 showing the men\u2019s ward dormitory so full that men had to go to bed in shifts so that staff could squeeze beds together once their occupants settled in for the night.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the early 1990s, it was an issue the hospital\u2019s management wouldn\u2019t have minded to encounter again. In 1991, Gov. Robert P. Casey announced his plan to close the facility. A year later, it was empty.<\/span><\/p>\n

There was frequent jockeying in the 1930s and \u201840s over how much state funding the hospital and others like it received. In those days, it \u2014 like the County Poorhouse and nearby Mayview<\/a> \u2014 was county owned. Newspaper accounts often referred to its successful management on a \u201cshoestring budget.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of the Woodville staff in that era had long careers. In the late 1940s, when Woodville and Mayview were sold by Allegheny County to the state for $2.5 million, more than 30 employees had been there for 20-plus years, The Pittsburgh Press wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who was treated there? The aged and mentally ill, as well as stroke victims and those in need of physical rehabilitation from accidents, including paralyzed patients. People entered Woodville in the 1950s with the expectation that they would recover to the point of being able to manage for themselves or with the assistance of family or an aide. In other words, because of the crowding issues, there was an expiration date on their stay at Woodville State.<\/span><\/p>\n

For many years \u2014 until funding priorities shifted in the 1990s and everyone had to move out<\/a> \u2014 it remained a sound strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, it\u2019s a redeveloped area. PennDOT built a large office there. The Villages at Neville Park subdivision dominates the former property along I-79 \u2014 with placid street names like Juniper Lane and Marigold Court.<\/span><\/p>\n

And none of it feels at all crowded.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 1991, Gov. Robert P. Casey announced his plan to close the facility. A year later, it was empty.<\/p>\n

Look at the picturesWoodville State Hospital\u2019s rise and fall<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[945],"tags":[993,1002,1010,1176,1032,1046],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/tumblr_n8exudzfqi1rr5swxo1_1280.jpg?fit=1280%2C740&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2530,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2012\/09\/12\/april-29-1950-lobby-of-the-nixon-theater-shortly\/","url_meta":{"origin":483,"position":0},"title":"Lobby of the Nixon Theater shortly before its doors closed","date":"September 12, 2012","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Nixon Theatre: \"Memories of almost half a century slip into the shadows...\u201d","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/tumblr_ma77diZHQJ1rr5swxo1_1280.jpg?fit=1080%2C844&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4705,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2015\/01\/07\/pittsburghs-fallout-shelters\/","url_meta":{"origin":483,"position":1},"title":"Pittsburgh’s fallout shelters","date":"January 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Allegheny County once nearly purchased a hole in the ground for $30,000.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Fallout-shelters-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C883&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":74,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/11\/12\/the-fulton-theaters-evolution\/","url_meta":{"origin":483,"position":2},"title":"The Fulton Theater\u2019s evolution","date":"November 12, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Actors play many parts and sometimes, theaters have many lives.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/tumblr_nevvu929cl1rr5swxo7_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C804&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":245,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/09\/17\/do-you-know-the-locations-of-these-pittsburgh-steps\/","url_meta":{"origin":483,"position":3},"title":"Do you know the locations of these Pittsburgh steps?","date":"September 17, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Pittsburgh and its steps are not unlike Pittsburgh and its bridges.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/tumblr_nc0agaX4SM1rr5swxo3_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C903&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":729,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/04\/25\/the-long-view-of-the-produce-terminal\/","url_meta":{"origin":483,"position":4},"title":"The long view of the Produce Terminal","date":"April 25, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Often, a visit to the Strip District also means paying for parking on the southern side of the Produce Terminal.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/tumblr_n4jzrm3YhR1rr5swxo1_1280.jpg?fit=1000%2C774&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":990,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/02\/05\/cardinal-wuerl-north-catholic-high-school-on-troy-hill\/","url_meta":{"origin":483,"position":5},"title":"Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School on Troy Hill","date":"February 5, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"The Troy Hill building opened in 1939. 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