Opened in 1930, the Metropolitan State Hospital (MSH) in Waltham, Massachusetts was once the largest, most sophisticated facility for treating the mentally ill in New England. At its peak, around 2,000 patients were residents at the hospital. Construction on the complex began in 1926, a few years after legislation passed in Massachusetts that mandated the state care for the mentally ill. The first building opened four years later and work continued through to 1935, at a total cost of $1.8 million at the time of completion. MSH’s buildings were designed…
