Thanks to Mlive for this:
WESTLAND, MI – A long-abandoned psychiatric hospital, which is rumored to be haunted, will soon get a $4 million dollar renovation to turn it into a hotel, restaurant and haunted attraction, officials announced.
The former Eloise Psychiatric Hospital, also known as Eloise Asylum, in Westland closed in 1984. Most of the complex’s 75 buildings were razed by the mid-80s. Redevelopment of the property and remaining structures has been complicated by contamination, according to a news release from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).
The current project is supported by a $695,000 brownfield grant from EGLE. The funds will aid contamination cleanup efforts, the release said.
Contamination includes petroleum-related compounds in the soil and groundwater, which likely came from underground storage tanks that leaked, the release said. The EGLE grant will pay for the excavation, transport and disposal of contaminated soil, which will prevent subsurface contamination from impacting the historic structures.
The city of Westland has partnered with 30712 Michigan Avenue LLC to redevelop the site as part of a multi-phase project, which is expected to create 50-100 full-time jobs, 75-100 seasonal jobs and a $2.5 million increase in the property’s taxable value.
Eloise Asylum was founded as a poorhouse in 1839 before it became one of the largest public healthcare facilities in the United States. The first inmate of the asylum was admitted in 1841, Bridget “Biddy” Hughes. She remained there until her death in 1895.
Built in 1931, Building D, also known as the Kay Beard Building, once housed 409 patients. Psychiatric care ended at Eloise in 1979. The general hospital closed in 1984. A haunted attraction opened in the Kay Beard Building in 2021.
The psychiatric hospital pioneered many treatments for the mentally ill including electroshock therapy, insulin shock therapy, television therapy, recreational, music therapy and occupational therapy.
