Sparks in Washoe County, Nevada — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Nevada State Hospital
Photographed by Bruce Armbrust, July 30, 2024
1. Nevada State Hospital Marker
The Nevada State Insane Asylum opened its doors on July 1. 1882. Later known as the Nevada State Hospital. The state constructed the asylum three miles east of Reno and acquired a one-sixth interest in the nearby Sullivan Ditch. The first building at the hospital was a four-story second empire-style building designed by Andrew F. Mackay and Gotth Haist of Virginia City. With room for 200 patients.
The asylum was largely self-sufficient. Operating as a working farm. Asylum staff and patients cultivated alfalfa fields. Orchards. And gardens using water from the Sulliven Ditch. As well as poultry yards and a dairy. Support buildings included barns. A boiler plant. Laundry facilities. An ice house. Machine shops. A morgue. And a cemetery. A river-powered generator supplied electricity to the hospital.
As the patient population grew. The state added new buildings to the grounds and remodeled existing buildings many designed by prominent local architects. Including Frederic Delongchamps. Edward Parsons. Ray Hellman. Albert Alegre. And Weldon Harrison. The original building was condemned in the 1950s and demolished in 1960.
Erected by State Historic Preservation Office, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Nevada Department of Veterans Services, Nevada State Public Works Division
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Science & Medicine. A significant historical date for this entry is July 1, 1882.
Location. 39° 31.758′ N, 119° 46.711′ W. Marker is in Sparks, Nevada, in Washoe County. It is on Galletti Way 0.1 miles north of Glendale Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Reno NV 89502, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Sierra Nevada, in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and in Greater Reno Area. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Coney Island (approx. 0.4 miles away); Sparks (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Fight of the Century (approx. one mile away); Beckwourth Trail - Over a Sage Plain (approx. one mile away); The Bank of Sparks (approx. 1.3 miles away); Glendale School (1864-1958) (approx. 1.3 miles away); James C. Lillard Railroad Park History (approx. 1.4 miles away); Chinese in Nevada (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sparks.
Photographed by Bruce Armbrust, July 30, 2024
2. Nevada State Hospital Marker
Photographed by Bruce Armbrust, July 30, 2024
3. Nevada State Hospital Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2024, by Bruce Armbrust of Carson City, Nevada. This page has been viewed 922 times since then and 106 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 30, 2024, by Bruce Armbrust of Carson City, Nevada. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
