Pennsylvania’s first Homeopathic State Hospital was located in Allentown, on 209 acres of land behind the Lehigh River. It was fitting to have the world’s first Homeopathic College in the same town. The new hospital would be one of seven institutions caring for the mentally ill in the state during the early 1900s. The design of the hospital followed a pavilion plan, which was also influenced by the famous Kirkbride block plan, featuring administrative facilities in the center with wards on either side. This configuration allowed ample light and air to flow through the corridors into the wards. The administration area boasted beautiful marble corridors and a grand staircase to welcome staff and new patients.

 

In late 1912, the hospital was completed and prepared for operation with 210 beds. The Pennsylvania Homeopathic Hospital for the Insane opened on October 12, 1912, under the direction of Superintendent Dr. Henry L. Klopp. New patients were transferred from Norristown and Danville State Hospitals. The hospital resembled a self-contained town, with its own power plant, farm, maintenance building, male and female dormitories, two chapels, a coal tramway, laundry facilities, and a theater/gym, among other amenities.

 

The hospital offered various types of therapy, including hydrotherapy, occupational therapy, and heliotherapy. Like many institutions of that era, it removed the word "insane" from its official name, renaming it Allentown State Hospital. In the 1930s, the hospital opened a children’s ward, which would later be compared in purpose and size to the Gaebler Children’s Center in Waltham, Massachusetts. Additional facilities were constructed, including two tuberculosis buildings, isolation cottages for contagious diseases, and more wards for patients and staff.

 

By the 1950s, the hospital reached its peak with over 2,000 patients. Due to limited room availability, staff were compelled to set up beds, dressers, and chairs in the corridors connecting the wards to alleviate overcrowding. In the 1960s, funding became scarce, leading to service cuts that left many patients struggling to find their own way.

 

In 1998, Allentown State Hospital became the first hospital in the United States to stop using seclusion and unscheduled medication. They introduced a new approach to managing "excited" patients, called PERT (Psychiatric Emergency Response Team Process). PERT involved a team talking a patient down without any physical intervention. This approach received negative press from other Pennsylvania state hospitals at the time, but it proved to be so successful that the World Health Organization adopted aspects of it.

 

As the century turned, America’s attitude toward mental health began to shift. With the advent of new medications and therapies, patients began to experience shorter stays in institutions, leading to a decline in the hospital's population. On December 17, 2010, Allentown State Hospital closed its doors for good.