Central state fencing remains
Mar. 15—A little more than five months ago, temporary fencing went up around several Central State Hospital buildings as the facilities underwent asbestos removal.
The fencing still surrounds the Jones, Walker and Green buildings, along with a couple of others on the campus of the former world's largest mental health hospital. The fenced-in facilities fall within the purview of the Georgia Department of Behavior Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), a spokesperson for which told The Union-Recorder via email Tuesday that still no decision has been made regarding their futures.
"Nothing has changed as of today," wrote David Sofferin, DBHDD's director of public affairs.
When the fencing was first installed in early October, it had many believing that those buildings, which are in varying states of disrepair, would be coming down. Ashley Fielding, DBHDD assistant commissioner for agency affairs, said in October there was no additional work planned beyond the asbestos abatement.
"Not currently," she said at the time. "What's under discussion now is how do we mitigate the very real safety risks that those buildings present for the community. There has been some discussion of what those options might be, though there is not any authority to move forward at this point."
An executive order must be signed by the governor in order for a state-owned facility to be demolished.
While the fencing has gone up to keep the public out, there was a sizable gap in the fencing front of the Jones Building when The Union-Recorder went out to get updated photos Tuesday morning. There are "no trespassing" signs up along the fence, though.
Fielding in October said the abatement project's cost was about $5 million, and was scheduled to take six weeks. The work was paid for with funds DBHDD had left over from the previous fiscal year. The leftover money was used to target capital needs across the state's hospital system, according to the agency's assistant commissioner.
The Jones, Green and Walker buildings sit on the main quad around the Central State Hospital pecan grove. Also selected for abatement by DBHDD were the old steam plant as well as the "communications building" located behind the Powell Building.
Built in 1929, the 140,000-square foot Jones Building served as the hospital unit, treating Central State clients, employees and local residents. Some Milledgeville residents were even born there. It was built in 1929 and was in use for about 50 years.
The Green Building sits next door to the Chapel of All Faiths on Swint Avenue. When operational, it housed convalescent patients for more than 30 years after its 1947 opening. The facility was named after former hospital superintendent Dr. Thomas F. Green, under whose leadership the patient population rose from 60 to more than 700 in the hospital's early days as the Georgia Lunatic Asylum. The Green Building was given new purpose in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Baldwin County used it to house the local Department of Family and Children Services and Head Start.
The Walker Building is also on Swint Avenue, just south of the Green Building. Built in 1884 and opened for use in 1886, Walker was originally called the male convalescent building. It served as an admission ward for white males, and patients were treated there until its closing in 1974.
During its heyday in the 1960s, Central State Hospital housed 12,000 patients, employed 6,000 people and encompassed over 8,000 acres on Milledgeville's south side. It owns a complicated place in both local and state history. Many remember fondly the sense of community forged there when either they or family members worked at Central State. But there's also the issue of treatments that were carried out like electroshock therapy and lobotomies, though both were standard psychiatric practices at the time, not just in Georgia.
