Inside Fairfield Hills Hospital

Cramped patient quarters and the overwhelming influx of new patients created the need for another state hospital in Connecticut. Newtown, a quiet farming town of 3,000, was selected to be the site of the new Fairfield State Hospital. On June 18th, 1929, it was officially established; work on the 800 acres of farmland started and finished within two years (1931-1933).

Over time, additional buildings were produced in response to the increasing number of admitted patients. Both the Canaan and Kent House were added to the grounds in 1940, succeeded by the Cochran House and Plymouth Hall in 1956.

Tunnels were constructed in 1938 to connect all the buildings, a typical feature of most psychiatric centers built in that timeframe. Much of this subterranean system was destroyed in 2007 at the cost of $70,000 (approximately $102,200 in 2025), attempting to deter explorers from properly utilizing them. Certain sections still remain, mainly the connection between the Cochran House (medical building) and Plymouth Hall (educational building).

According to one former employee, carts of laundry were delivered using these tunnels.

After the town acquired the property in 2001 for $3.9 million (equal to $4.4 million in 2025), a wave of demolitions engulfed the campus. The Fairfield House in 2006, later being joined by the Greenwich House in 2009, along with the Yale Laboratory and Litchfield House in 2010. Danbury Hall and 8 single-family homes became part of this list in 2013.

Further demolition work went on up until 2017, when one of the former staff housing buildings, Woodbury Hall, was reduced to rubble. Just 2 years earlier, the Canaan House was razed to make way for a $15 million community center. Exactly $4,253,000 was spent on the removal of both buildings.

Only 4 buildings were revitalized: Bridgeport Hall, Stratford Hall, and two residential houses. Renovating Stratford Hall, the former library, costed $320,000 to become the overpriced Newslyum Brewery. Bridgeport Hall, the former dining hall, was transformed into the Newtown Municipal Center.

An ever-growing prison population led to Fairfield Hills becoming the site of a new high-security correctional facility in 1992. Forty million dollars was spent on the creation of the 400-bed Garner Correctional Institution, much to the dismay of local residents. Half a million dollars was spent in legal fees alone by the town to block it from being built.

By 1994, the dwindling number of patients led state officials to consider downsizing operations before its eventual closure in 1996. It and another state-run psychiatric center, Norwich State Hospital, were closed in a bill aimed at cutting costs. In a 22-2 vote, all patients were funneled over to the still-active Connecticut Valley Hospital.

Following its abandonment, a few of the buildings, namely the Canaan House and Litchfield House. Part of the latter was used as a makeshift headquarters during the St. Agnes Hospital episode of the short-lived FEAR TV program. St. Agnes Hospital being a pseudonym to deliberately avoid putting the spotlight on Fairfield, which worked as well as a no trespassing sign.

"I don't consider them urban explorers; I consider them criminals," answered one town official in response to the increased number of thrill-seeking trespassers at Fairfield, undoubtedly caused by its minor appearance on MTV. Its popularity among the curious led to the clamping down of illegal visits in 2004.

Under the notion of eventually reusing the buildings, harsher security measures were taken: a heightened police presence, regular patrols, along with the arrest of anyone caught inside or anyone in the area past dark. Currently there is no longer any active security onsite, as the endless stream of traffic and nosey dog walkers that encircles the buildings should deter any would-be intruders from entering.

Newtown's Town Hall faced flooding and other hardships during the 1997 April Fool's Day blizzard, town employees resorted to temporarily moving into the freshly abandoned Canaan House. Keep in mind that the building was untouched in the sense that the carpets were still stained with the bodily fluids of former patients. During the brief time that it was used, it served as an office space for the State Board of Education, town government, and even as an alternative high school.

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Burdened by the mounting costs of maintenance work (1.2 million annually), the state of CT announced their intention of pawning off the campus in 1998.

All 800 acres were partitioned by the state Office of Policy and Management; 350 acres was given to the Department of Agriculture, 114 acres was given to the previously mentioned Garner Correctional Institution, and 75 acres went to establishing a new road that runs straight through the property. Out of 800 acres, only 186 acres was given to the town.

Several proposals regarding redevelopment were received, yet only 3 out of 12 were actually seriously considered. Each one included residential housing as part of their plan, alarming town residents who wished to keep Newtown rural. Ultimately, the developers ended up getting turned away by the state, as the town exercised their right of first refusal to first purchase the property.

March 17th, 2005, marked the day that the final version of the 124-page Fairfield Hills master plan was adopted. Previous iterations were rejected by voters; one version called for the construction of a new town hall on the premises and the demolition of 7-9 buildings.

This master plan was based upon the idea of leasing out the empty buildings to businesses. Another aspect was to keep Newtown rural and Fairfield Hills green, so residential housing developments were barred from being built on the grounds. Desperate to attract real estate developers, the thought of lifting the ban was debated in 2011.

Last year (2024), Fairfield made its way onto the National Register of Historic Places, meaning no further demolition work will be allowed to take place; unless they deem the buildings to be dangerous to the public and demolish them just like at the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center. Plans for renovating the Kent House and Shelton House for a mixed-use development are currently being discussed.