Group Aims To Preserve Former Kings Park Psychiatric Center Grounds

KINGS PARK, NY — A group of four is advocating for the reuse and repurposing of buildings on the grounds of the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center.

Preserve KPCC — composed of Jackie Kalafut, Holly Desautels, Robyn Stanton and Jaime Grabow — hopes to find new uses for the roughly 30 buildings on the former psychiatric center's grounds. They have proposed a museum, mental health center, art galleries and art studios among other ideas.

The Kings Park Psychiatric Center opened in 1885 and operated until 1996. The center is important in the history of not only Kings Park but also Suffolk County and even New York state, Stanton said.

"Folks will tell you their entire families worked there or they met their partners there," Stanton told Patch. "It was such a centerpiece of the community. Folks will say it helped shape the character of the town. It also just served as a site of reprieve for folks who were struggling with their mental health. We just feel that when you take away such a vital piece of the history of the town, the history of the town goes with it."

Losing the hospital to potential commercial redevelopment would take away from the integrity of the grounds' history, Stanton said.

"The reason why the hospital was established in this particular location is because of its bucolic setting," Stanton said. "To turn that into a strip mall, it would take away from that integrity."

A master plan for the grounds is being developed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and Preserve KPPC hopes the grounds will remain parkland.

Preserve KPPC does not know when key decisions will be made about the fate of the psychiatric center's grounds, but the group is hopeful the plan includes the museum and its other ideas.

A scoping document, which is an outline of what would be considered in the development of the master plan and the direct environmental impact statement, was recently released.

"From what we saw, a lot of what we as an organization have been suggesting did make it on there, which we’re super excited about," Stanton said. "It does seem they are being receptive to the community, and we’re excited to see what comes next."

Whatever is decided, though, could take anywhere between 10 and 20 years to actually complete, whether it's demolition, repurposing or reusing, Kalafut predicts.

Preserve KPPC is encouraging community members to get involved by reaching out to the group on social media and providing feedback. The group can be reached on Instagram @PreserveKPPC.

The organization plans to run some pop-up exhibits this summer at community events such as Monday on Main, Kings Park Day, and the 5K runs: the Sunset Run and Turkey Trot. The runs are hosted by the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation, which is the foundation that oversees the Nissequogue River State Park, where the Kings Park Psychiatric Center is.

Preserve KPPC is excited about its public-facing events, as it will give community members a chance to meet the group directly.

"We feel that, as a preservation group, we’re all about preserving Kings Park," Kalafut said. "There is no better way than to stand in front of one of the buildings they’re actively preserving and meet people and explain more what our group is about."