McLean Hospital
| Location | Belmont |
| Address | |
| Region | |
| State | Massachusetts |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | |
| Funding | |
| Website | [http://www.mcleanhospital.org Official website] |
McLean Hospital (formerly known as Somerville Asylum and Charlestown Asylum) is a psychiatric hospital located in Belmont, Massachusetts. It is affiliated with Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and is part of Mass General Brigham.
History[edit]
McLean Hospital was founded in 1811 in what is now Somerville, Massachusetts. Originally called the Asylum for the Insane, it was established by a group of concerned Bostonians who wanted to address the issue of mentally ill individuals living on the streets. The hospital was built around a mansion owned by Charles Bulfinch, with additional buildings completed by 1818.
In honor of one of its early benefactors, John McLean, the hospital was later renamed The McLean Asylum for the Insane. The campus was relocated to Belmont, Massachusetts in 1895 due to changes in Charlestown. The new site was selected with the consultation of civil engineer Joseph Curtis and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Olmsted, known for his work on Central Park and other public spaces, was eventually treated at McLean but did not design the hospital grounds.
Today, McLean Hospital is known for its clinical staff expertise, neuroscience research, and its affiliation with Harvard Medical School. It maintains the world's largest neuroscientific and psychiatric research program in a private hospital.
