Richards’ vision was to create a peaceful, homelike setting where women could be cared for surrounded by gardens and lush landscaping. Having worked in state-run insane asylums in Nebraska, Iowa and Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino, California, she witnessed the atrocities firsthand.
At Rockhaven women could be treated with dignity and grace in a beautiful and serene environmentĪgnes Traviss Richards, a registered nurse, was inspired to found her own institution when she became discouraged by the way women with mental illness (and those accused of being mentally ill that were not) were treated by large, state-run facilities. Rockhaven was opened in 1923 by psychiatric nurse Agnes Richards as a private mental health institution for women with mild mental and nervous disorders as the brochure read. Why the city that should be the proudest of such a historic property still not approve it is beyond comprehension. Despite objection by the City of Glendale, the Friends of Rockhaven successfully nominated the Rockhaven Sanitarium for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The California State Historical Resources Commission gave unanimous approval to list the Rockhaven Sanitarium to the California Register of Historical Resources on April 18, 2016. I was completely clueless until a few years ago when one of my high school friends posted an article about Rockhaven on Facebook. Now, one would think that since I was born and raised in Glendale, lived in La Crescenta and my daughter went to preschool a block away, that I would have known all about Rockhaven. Despite such praise, Rockhaven’s grounds now sit eerily vacant as city officials debate what should be done with the historic landmark of healing.I finally had the opportunity to visit Rockhaven Sanitarium located in Montrose, California. Scattered throughout the site, many traces of the old garden sanctuary remain, including fountains, stone pathways, arches, and cottages. A non-profit organization dedicated to commemorating the good done at Rockhaven occasionally organizes tours of the site, preserving the site’s unique history for generations to come.Īt the time of its closure, Rockhaven was the last institution of its kind in operation. Throughout its 80-plus years in operation, Rockhaven was known for providing respite amidst a landscape of struggle, both internal and external. Today it is heralded as America’s first feminist asylum. Due to a lack of profitability, Rockhaven was officially shut down in 2006, but saved from demolition by the City of Glendale. In 2001, Rockhaven was sold to a private hospital. Eventually Richards’ facility expanded to more than three acres in size, absorbing several neighborhood houses to accommodate its growing population.
This made it America’s first woman-founded mental health facility.Īs Rockhaven’s reputations for peaceful conditions and gorgeous scenery spread over the years, it attracted more and more patients, some of whom arrived quietly despite Hollywood’s fan fair Billie Burke, aka Glinda the Good Witch, spent time at Rockhaven, as did Marylin Monroe’s mother, not to mention countless others. Her small, independently operated Rockhaven Sanitarium began with but one little rock house (hence, rock haven). After having worked firsthand in state-run asylums, Richards had witnessed the nightmarish treatment of those who suffered from nervous disorders and mental illness and wanted to provide a better option for patients. Rockhaven Sanitarium was founded in 1923 by psychiatric nurse Agnes Richards.
Scores of sanitariums once operated in the Crescenta Valley, and then they all disappeared-except Rockhaven.