Medfield State Hospital
Also known as: Medfield Insane Asylum
Why it's listed
Medfield State Hospital is a 426-acre campus on Castle Hill, northwest of Medfield center, founded in 1892 as the Medfield Insane Asylum to care for chronic and incurable patients. Boston architect William Pitt Wentworth designed the first buildings in the Queen Anne style, using red brick, slate roofs and corbelled cornices. Small and medium-sized wards face a rectangular central green that holds the chapel, kitchen and dining halls, giving the campus the look of a college or a New England town common. It was the state's first facility built for long-term chronic patients and the first insane hospital laid out on the cottage plan. Later buildings from the early twentieth century, by firms such as Park & Kendall and Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, add Classical Revival and Craftsman designs. Farmland, woodland, a cemetery and a pre-existing farmhouse of about 1840 complete the grounds. The campus was recognized for its architecture and its role in the history of mental health care, with a period of significance from 1892 to 1940.
Significance in brief: It was the Commonwealth's first facility built specifically for long-term, high-need chronic patients and the first insane hospital in the state built on the cottage plan. Its Queen Anne buildings in a mirror-image arrangement around a central green are described as unique. Its twentieth-century history also reflects state and national trends in mental health care.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 93001481, listed January 21, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 45 Hospital Rd., Medfield |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | January 21, 1994 |
| Reference number | 93001481 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1892-1940 |
| Architect / builder | William Pitt Wentworth; Park & Kendall; Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne (original buildings), with Greek Revival, Colonial Revival, Beaux-Arts, Classical Revival and Craftsman elements |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Health/Medicine, Social History |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Several buildings are described as vacant and boarded; landscapes are well maintained and the campus retains a high degree of integrity. |
| Acreage | 426 |
| Coordinates | 42.20915, -71.33374 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 93001481.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6805293
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.