{"nrhp_refnum":"94000695","name":"Foxborough State Hospital","other_names":["Massachusetts Hospital for Dipsomaniacs &","Inebriates (1889-1"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Jct. of Chestnut and Main Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Foxborough","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.07863300000005,"lon":-71.25873681679292,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-07-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Health/Medicine","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A state hospital campus district on Chestnut Street in Foxborough, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, established in 1889 as the Massachusetts Hospital for Dipsomaniacs and Inebriates. Its buildings date mainly from 1891 to the 1930s.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the hospital was said to be the first state-operated facility in the nation for treating alcoholism, with an early and innovative treatment program. It later became a standard state hospital tied to the development of the Massachusetts mental health system. Its Queen Anne and Classical Revival buildings are called excellent examples of their types, and the landscape is one of few with an identified landscape architect.","narrative":"Foxborough State Hospital is a campus of red brick wards, support buildings and staff housing on Chestnut Street in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It began in 1889 as the Massachusetts Hospital for Dipsomaniacs and Inebriates, said to be the first state-run facility of its kind in the nation. The trustees chose the cottage plan, and Brigham & Spofford designed the earliest Queen Anne buildings, trimmed with terra-cotta. In 1914 the alcoholic patients moved to Norfolk, and the site became a standard state hospital. A 1915 plan by James E. McLaughlin, later joined by Houston Burr, linked the original wards and added an administration building and Classical Revival wards. Staff cottages, an assembly hall and other buildings followed through the 1930s. Landscape architect Joseph H. Curtis improved the grounds in 1895. The campus has changed little since about 1935, though deferred maintenance threatens the original wards. It was recognized for its role in treating alcoholism, its link to the state mental health system, and its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1889-1940","architect_builder":"Brigham & Spofford; William Gibbons Preston; James E. McLaughlin; McLaughlin & Burr; Desmond & Lord; Kilham, Hopkins & Greeley; landscape architect Joseph H. Curtis","architectural_style":"Late Victorian - Queen Anne; 19th & 20th century revivals - Colonial, Classical","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed current function is vacant, with some health care use by Wrentham State School; the campus is being declared surplus, and lack of maintenance affects the original wards.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.417996-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/82/7924/63792482/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/94000695.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000695/5e8cfd3696-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000695/5e8cfd3696-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foxborough_state.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792482","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxborough_State_Hospital","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5477093"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/foxborough-state-hospital-94000695/"}