history

Building the Institution	A Description of the Institution	Buildings	The Smoke Stack
Kinne Cottage

By 1898 the main building of the Cherokee State Hospital had been erected. R. A. Lewis of Cherokee, supervised the construction and 400,000 dollars was expended in building the basic structure which measured a mile around its base.
The structure was not erected under a single contract. In February of 1896 a contract was let to erect the foundation to T. F. Atherson Bros. of Marshalltown for $75,000. In 1897 a contract was let to construct a building upon the foundation for $291,000. In each case several rounds of bidding were taken before a final bidder was selected and a contract let.
The legislature of 1898 however failed to make any further appropriation. The hospital buildings stood uncompleted and vacant.
A new General Assembly convened in 1900 and the entire membership was invited to view the structure for themselves. A special train arrived in Cherokee at 12:15 p.m., March 7, 1900, carrying ninety one legislators and their wives, board members and others. In total 231 people arrived to view the structure.
They were amazed at the beautiful building with its commanding views, and fine windows. Inside the visitors saw the skeletal nature of the fireproof structure. The supports for the floors were laid, but there was no flooring, no plastering, or woodwork, the building on the inside appeared to be simply an endless dreary labyrinth of passageways and skeletal stairways.
This on site inspection seemed to favorably impress the important visitors for in April of 1900 an appropriation of $360,000 to complete the hospital was passed by the General Assembly.
In the fall of 1900 contracts were let for the completion of the structure. The railroad finally laid the promised spur track to the rear of the hospital and materials no longer had to be hauled to the site by wagon.
In 1901 the work on the state hospital really hummed. Every skilled tradesman for miles around flocked to the site to obtain work. The heating plant was put up, including the building, the tunnels, boilers, and all the connections within the hospital itself. The electric light plant was built.
Cement floors were laid, and then hard wood floors laid on top of that, except for 30,000 feet of tiling in baths , mop closets, kitchens, toilets, dispensary and other places requiring waterproof floors.
Acres of walls were plastered. Woodworkers put in oak trim all over. Painting and decorating had to wait until later in the winter when the heating plant began to operate.
The road problem was solved. The purchasers of the property had failed to get county roads crossing the property vacated, prior to starting the construction. Finally one member of the Board of Control came to Cherokee and met with the county supervisors and the problem was solved.
The main entrance was located off Cedar Street as it was wider than Cherry. This entrance served both the main entrance and the service road.
Landscape artists directed the planting of trees, shrubs, and flower beds all over the bare hill.
A large 3 story cow barn was built to hold 50 cows, a hog house, chicken house and granary were built. A garden shed, tool shed, a brick workshop and laboratory were built as was a green house, four large cisterns were put in. A cannery was planned to built the following year.
Furnishing arrived by the car load to equip the huge establishment.
The newly appointed Superintendent, Dr. M. N. Voldeng arrived in March of 1902 to watch over the operations, assemble staff and supervise the completion of the construction.
Finally in August of 1902 the construction had been completed to point that patients could be accepted.
But this was not to be the end of construction at the "City on the Hill." Between 1902 and 1914 the following construction was completed, three well towers, laboratory, industrial building, addition to the coal shed, addition to laundry, fire station, hog house, poultry house, dairy barn, carriage barn, draft horse barn, root cave built of solid concrete for 8,000 bushels of vegetables, ice house, two implement houses, wagon shed, granary, corn crib, three pavilions, sheep barn and green house.
In 1904 a farm cottage (Voldeng) was built to accommodate 150 men at the cost of $65,000. This building after extensive remodeling is now the children's unit at the Cherokee Mental Health Institute.
In 1909 a psychopathic hospital, (Infirmary, now called General Medical Services), was built at a cost of $125,000 to accommodate 120 men and 120 women on six wards. These building were considered fireproof throughout with reinforced concrete floors and tile roofs.
In 1913 construction began on the tubercular building, (Kinne) at a cost of $50,000. This building with its courtyards, fountains and plants has since been demolished.
More recent construction includes Donohoe and Wade cottages built in the thirties and now used for occupation therapy and vocational rehabilitation services as well as student nursing housing.
In 1948 the employees building, Wirth Hall was completed. The most recent construction was the building of the Doctors duplexes on the east portion of the grounds.

(Source: Cherokee County Historical Society Newsletter, Special August - September Issue, Vol. 12, No. 7, 1977, pg. 5)