Place

Washington State Hospital Grounds

Pencil plan of lots of buildings in the same shape on trees in front and behind
Washington State Hospital Grounds, Job #03678, Sedro-Woolley, WA

Olmsted Archives

Quick Facts
Location:
Sedro-Woolly, WA
Significance:
Olmsted Designed Landscape
As with many Pacific Northwest designs, John Charles Olmsted led Olmsted Brothers’ team at the Washington State Hospital, also known as the Northern State Hospital, landscaping 1,086-acres which integrated mental health facilities within farmland. Not only did John Charles’ plan include core hospital buildings, but also had a dairy, piggery, poultry, and orchards, which patients were encouraged to learn to operate.

Work began in the Summer of 1910, with John Charles’ earlier work at a nearby Veterans home won over the Hospital’s board. Representing Washington state’s earliest and largest institutional planning effort, Northern State Hospital is a remarkable example of merging healthcare and agriculture. Assisting John Charles for nearly ten years was James Frederick Dawson, who managed the site’s planting plan.

Source: "Northern State Hospital," The Cultural Landscape Foundation

For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr 
Olmsted Online

Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site

Last updated: June 20, 2024