Agnews State Hospital, Administration Building, Intersection of Palm Drive & North Circle Drive, Santa Clara, Santa Clara County, CA

Significance: Building 1 is significant as an integral component of the 1908 reconstruction of Agnews State Hospital in a pavilion plan. The new design for the hospital represented not only a reconfiguration of buildings into smaller structures in a park-like setting, but an important change in the perspectives on and treatment of patients. Agnews was the first mental facility in California to switch from the confinement and permanent housing of patients to scientific treatment with the hope of release. Building 1 housed the administrative functions of the hospital and included rooms for: records, a general library, a medical library, offices for the superintendent and other administrators, a board room and overnight facilities for the Board of Managers. In addition, Building 1 and the other structures from the 1908 plan are important as early attempts to use reinforced concrete as a earthquake and fire-resistant material.
Survey number: HABS CA-2710-A
Building/structure dates: 1908 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1999 Subsequent Work