Agnews Developmental Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Agnews Insane Asylum
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 Location in San Jose, California
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 4000 Lafayette St., Santa Clara, California |
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| Built | 1906 |
| Architect | Stocking, Leonard, State Architect; Sellon & Hennings, McDougall, George |
| Architectural style | Mission Revival—Spanish Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000829 |
| Added to NRHP | August 13, 1997 |
The Agnews Developmental Center was a special place in Santa Clara, California and San Jose, California. It had two campuses that offered medical care and support for people with special needs.
Contents
A Look Back at Agnews
In 1885, this center first opened its doors. It was known as "The Great Asylum for the Insane" back then. The main building was made of red brick and cost $750,000 to build. It was located near a village called Agnew's, which is now part of Santa Clara, California.
The building was designed by an architect named Theodore Lenzen. It followed a special design plan called the Kirkbride Plan. By the early 1900s, Agnews was a very large center. It even had its own train station! This station helped people travel to and from the center.
The 1906 Earthquake
A terrible event happened in 1906. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake caused a lot of damage. The Agnews facility and nearby buildings were destroyed. Sadly, 117 patients and staff lost their lives. They were buried together on the site.
Agnews became known as the place in the Santa Clara Valley where the most people died from the earthquake. News reports at the time said that some people who lived there got out of the damaged building.
Rebuilding and Expanding
After the earthquake, Agnews was rebuilt. The new buildings were designed in a beautiful style. It looked like a college campus with two-story buildings. It reopened around 1911 as Agnews State Mental Hospital.
The facility was like a small town all by itself. It had many workshops for different jobs. There was also a farm where they raised animals and grew vegetables. It even had its own power plant and a fire department!
In 1926, the center grew even bigger. A second campus was added about 2 miles (3.2 km) east in San Jose. A hospital was later built on this new campus. In 1965, special programs started for people with developmental disabilities.
Programs for people with mental health challenges stopped in 1972. This was part of a change to help people live more independently. The west campus closed 26 years later in 1998. The east campus continued to help people with developmental disabilities until it closed in 2011.
West Campus Changes
The original west campus closed in 1998. This was part of a plan to make the center smaller and eventually close it. What would happen to the land after it closed was a big discussion in the area.
In 1997, it was announced that the state would sell a large part of the campus to Sun Microsystems. Sun Microsystems wanted to build its main offices and research center there. Some people didn't like that public land was being sold to a big company. Others thought it was good to have a major tech company in the area.
Another important topic was keeping the historic Agnews buildings safe. Sun Microsystems agreed to fix up four of the old buildings. These included the auditorium, the clock tower, the superintendent's house, and the administration building. They also agreed to let the public use some of the facilities.
Today, there's an outdoor exhibit open to everyone. It shares information and photos about the center's history. A small museum also opened next to the cemetery, and it's still open today.
Besides the Sun Microsystems deal, a new neighborhood called Rivermark of Santa Clara was planned. It included homes, shops, a public school, and open spaces.
The Agnews site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. This means it's recognized as an important historical place.
In 2010, Oracle Corporation bought Sun Microsystems. The campus is still used by Oracle for research and conferences. In 2022, Oracle decided to sell 40% of the campus.
East Campus Changes
In March 2009, the last patient moved out of the east campus. The living facility there closed. The east campus continued to offer clinic services until April 2011.
In July 2011, some of the support services moved to Campbell, California. They kept helping patients in the local area. The land for the east campus was then given to the California Department of General Services.
In July 2014, the City of San Jose and the Santa Clara Unified School District bought the property. They paid $80 million for it. Their plan was to build a K-5 elementary school, a middle school, a high school, and a city park.
Demolition of the old buildings started in late 2018. Construction began soon after. The first two schools, Abram Agnew Elementary School and Dolores Huerta Middle School, opened in August 2021. The third school, Kathleen MacDonald High School, opened the next year. The city park is still being planned. The former hospital building is still standing, but it is neglected and ruined.
Agnews in Movies and Music
Agnews Developmental Center has appeared in popular media:
- The 1984 film Birdy used the center as the place where the main character was staying.
- The 1989 horror film The Dead Pit was filmed at the east campus.
- The punk rock band Green Day recorded the music video for their 1994 song "Basket Case" at Agnews.
Images for kids
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The clock tower at Agnews Developmental Center.
