Plenty of urban myths exist about UA’s Bryce Main, but there is no proof that Bryce Hospital, when it was complete, was ever the world’s third-largest building. Nor is there much evidence that it was or still is haunted, though many still feel a chill when they get near the fourth floor. Here’s what you need to know about this iconic building, its history and what it’s used for today.
1. Mania A.
When Bryce Hospital’s first patient arrived in 1861, they were diagnosed with “Mania A,” caused by “political excitement.” The Civil War started a week later. But Superintendent Dr. Peter Bryce, a pioneering figure in progressive mental health treatment, kept the hospital afloat throughout the war, and devoted himself and his staff to compassionate treatment for the mentally ill. He demanded that staff treat patients with kindness and respect and avoid the use of restraints like straitjackets.
2. Dome alone.
The Bryce Main building, with its distinctive cupola on the roof, was designed by Thomas Story Kirkbride, an activist physician in Philadelphia who started the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions, which later became the American Psychiatric Association. The University’s Lyceum and Rotunda, the original library, both also had cupolas before they were burned by Union troops in the Civil War. But now, Bryce, alone, has a dome. According to photos, the cupola used to be red.
3. Meteor writes.
Between the 1870’s and 1880’s, Bryce Hospital patients wrote and published their own newspaper, The Meteor. The paper provided fascinating insights into a progressive mental hospital in the late 19th century, and quite a few funny stories. One article recounted a loud University party, where carousing students kept the Bryce patients up all night. Not to be outdone, the patients took up money and hired a brass band to play at the University all night and return the favor. Copies of the Meteor still exist in the museum on the second floor of Bryce, and in digital archives.
4. A performing arts legacy.
In addition to classrooms, faculty offices, the Catherine and Pettus Randall Welcome Center, and a museum, Bryce Main also hosts a rehearsal space for UA performing arts. But given the building’s history, that makes perfect sense. After all, Dr. Bryce believed that his patients should get the same opportunities as outside society, so the hospital regularly hosted sought-after performances, including musician Roy Acuff, actor Duncan Renaldo of “The Cisco Kid” TV show, blues singer Johnny Shines, and even, it was reported, actor Edwin Booth, the brother of infamous Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth.
5. Be a part of Bryce’s story.
Bryce Main can be booked for private events after hours. Available spaces include the Moore Art gallery with its rotating exhibitions, a reception hall with a catering kitchen that holds up to 150 people, and, of course, the Randall Welcome Center theater that holds 140. The Bryant Conference Center team manages event booking and so far, Bryce has hosted a retirement party, concerts, the Kentuck Festival kickoff and even a wedding.