During the time the hospital sat in solitude and disrepair, one could look through the windows and glimpse mint green lead paint, peeling like blistered skin from the walls. Old medical objects and furniture were scattered through its long winding corridors and many rooms. The artwork on walls by former patients just made things even creepier. Throw in graffiti and modern vandalism for an extra creepy bonus.
In the early 2000’s, a developer started to renovate and rejuvenate the beautiful buildings, turning the decaying asylum into gorgeous condos, offices and even restaurants.
No ghosts, but there were three teens on top of the tank just hanging out. They lived in the area so we asked them about the local stories told about the hospital. I expected them to have tons of interesting and unusual stories being locals but they just nonchalantly said the place was known to be “haunted” and that it was “creepy.” They mentioned the area of the woods we were in gave people a strange feeling. So much for cool, local stories.
Nowadays, things are a little brighter at the old asylum. Gone are the dangers of lead paint and asbestos that made the place dangerous to explore on the inside. It’s now a vibrant place of urban renewal now known as The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. You can dine, shop and even live there! So while it’s really no longer a paranormal stomping ground, the history is still intense and amazing and it is still worth the visit. Who knows, you may still be greeted by a spirit in the most unassuming of places.
If you have interesting stories about jaunts into the unknown territories of the Traverse City State Hospital before (or after) the renovation, send your story to add to this page. There are already plenty of stories coming in since the renovation.
I feel sad to see the architecture crumbling over the many years. It was a thoughtful asylum in its time. My grgr grandfather and a maternal grandfather were there, one in 1900 U.S. Census-died there and sent to a medical school for research back then. The other grandfather died there in 1951. I do realize things go on in these old buildings and they have to be saved somewhat for future endeavors. Just sad-the Stained glass windows were beautiful-not too many pics of those, but I can picture all those who were there. A remarkable job at this project. Thank you for sharing it to us.
My cousin was a patient at the State mental facility somewhere around the 1960’s. He was diaignosed with water on the brain and at this time he was sent there as the doctor didn’t think it would be safe for him to be at home because they didn’t have shunts then and they were afraid that his head would become too heavy and he may not have the strength to hold his head up . My Aunt and Uncle were devastated that they couldn’t care for him at home. I think he lived until he was 13 years old before he passed. He had the sweetest laugh.
Thanks for sharing your family story. There is a lot of very real “human” history within the walls of the old hospital.
A non profit company dedicated to breeding trees on the grounds offers tours! I think I paid $30 for the tour and the guide was super knowledgeable about the history of the hospital. He told us that Dr Munson and his wife traveled the world, and would bring a small tree to be planted on the grounds from each country they visited. Dr Muson would throw a stone and the tree was planted where the stone landed. The company clones these trees and plants them on the grounds.
There are underground tunnels connecting many of the buildings. They used them to transport patients and supple from the main hospital to the other buildings, especially in the winter time. During the tour we actually got to go into the tunnels and other buildings. The tunnels are awesome, lined with brick and are almost round, and so dark! There are these spiders down there that are translucent/whiteish and grow mold on them due to moisture and lack of light. They were the scariest part of the whole tour.
In many of the buildings the walls have murals painted by patients which are interesting.. There is a lot of graffiti too which is pretty cool.
The tour guide told us that when the hospital closed in the 80’s the patients were just released not sent to other hospitals. Many patients had no where to go and became homeless.
I recommend the tour, it was fun and informative and definitely worth cost.
Thank so much for sharing that info! The tours sound great!