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Established 1860 (as the Michigan State Retreat), demolished 1963.
St. Joseph's Retreat in Dearborn was Michigan's first privatemental institution. It was started by theDaughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The 1885 building appears to be of the Kirkbride design, shared with 3 other Michigan institutions. The side wings resembled the now-demolished Pontiac State Hospital side wings, and the center section resembled that of theTraverse City State Hospital main building, which still stands, but without the center section which was demolished the same year that St Joseph's Retreat was. In 1889, the first telephone installed in Dearborn wasinstalled at the Retreat. The Dearborn High School was built in the 1950s on land formerly belonging to the Retreat.
The image below was used with permission.
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