Castle on the Hill

Binghamton, NY

Client: Upstate Medical University, State University of New York

John G. Waite Associates, Architects is working with SUNY Upstate Medical University to adapt an abandoned nineteenth-century asylum, creating classrooms and a clinical campus. Located on an idyllic site overlooking the City of Binghamton and the junction of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers, the new facility will provide training for medical students and health care to the community.

The Castle on the Hill

JGWA first prepared a feasibility study that determined that the building could be successfully used by the University. The architects investigated the exterior building envelope using a mechanical lift to reach the higher locations. On the interior, every room was inspected and evaluated to determine its condition, and the existing heating, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems were examined and evaluated.

The project will be a national model for the preservation and reuse of a nineteenth-century asylum.