NORTHVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The Northville Psychiatric Hospital, which has been abandoned for years, is set to be demolished next year, officials announced.
The hospital in Northville Township was built in 1952 and has been closed since 2003. Officials announced Monday that there is a plan to tear it down in 2018.
"For years, these buildings have created blight and have been a significant drain on public safety resources," Township Supervisor Robert Nix said. "For the past several years, scrappers and trespassers have vandalized the property, spreading asbestos, and have accelerated the deterioration of the buildings. This activity created public safety concerns for our residents and anyone entering the property."
Once known for its urban legends, the hospital will soon be just a memory.
It will cost about $6 million to demolish the nine-story building. Meanwhile, residents are concerned that down the road, people who were exposed to asbestos will find out about it. Township officials share the same concerns.
"You just can't knock down the building," Nix said. "They have to wash it. Clean up all the asbestos, because the asbestos floats all over the place."
More than a dozen buildings remain on the property and will need to come down in the future.
Northville Township is looking at redeveloping about 350 acres. Officials said they want to create an open recreational space that fits with the community.
You can watch Priya Mann's full story in the video posted above.
Demolition timeline
Officials said they will set up a work area at the site, including a mobile office, this month. They will fence the perimeter and set up floodlights and security during nonwork hours.
At the end of November and into 2018, crews will begin the abatement process. From April to July, once the building has been environmentally cleared, the above-ground demolition will begin.
The below-grade floors will be crushed and filled in July and mid-August. The project is expected to be completed sometime in mid-August or October.
Officials said the timeline could change depending on the weather.