matching set of c. 1950's bent plate glass exit light panels with double-sided bold red enameled lettering

SOLD
Out of stock
SKU
UR-12471-12
solar light mfg. co., chicago, il.

 

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two original c. 1950's bent plate glass exit light panels salvaged from the old chicago state hospital shortly before demolition. the panels were fabricated by the solar light mfg. co. of chicago. the baked white with red enameled lettering remains intact. the original metal housings were lost long ago. the chicago state hospital was first established in 1851 as a poor farm and asylum for the insane. facilities were housed in a three-story building situated atop a ridge. residents of the poor farm lived with their families growing vegetables, washing their clothes, and attending school on the premises. after 1863 the institution also admitted tuberculosis patients. the county built a separate building for the insane asylum in 1870. the construction of two more buildings in the 1880's added enough space to accommodate the more than 1,000 patients. following the civil war, andrew dunning purchased 120 acres just south of the county property to start a nursery and lay the groundwork for a village. he set aside 40 acres for the settlement, but proximity to the insane hospital kept settlers away. initially transportation links were poor. although trains brought employees and commuters from the city, visitors had to walk two and a half miles from the depot to the county farm. after a single three-mile track was extended to the facilities in 1882, the chicago, milwaukee & st. paul crazy train brought patients, supplies, and medicines. over time the infirmary, poorhouse, and asylum became overcrowded. minimal heat in winter, no hot water, and poor ventilation contributed to the deaths of many patients and inmates. in 1886 an official investigation found misconduct, gambling, patient abuse, and influence in the hiring of medical personnel. after 1910 the poor farm was moved to oak forest, and two years later the state bought the mental hospital and property for one dollar. although it was called the chicago state hospital, many continued to refer to the institution simply as dunning. the largely badly dilated and largely abandoned structures were razed in the 1970's. priced for the pair.

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