Administration Building At Severalls Hospital

This is an administration building dating from 1910 to 1913, designed by Frank Whitmore, the Essex County architect, and W.H. Town. Constructed of red brick with stone dressings and featuring hipped and mansard tile roofs, it stands at the northern apex of the central spine of buildings within the echelon plan of Severalls Hospital.

The north elevation exhibits symmetry, with a central entrance bay flanked by five-window bay ranges. These bays incorporate multi-pane sash windows, taller on the first floor, and prominent two-storey bows of three bays each. A deep cornice follows the bows to the slightly advanced, central entrance bay, which features a prominent stone portal with a deep, overhanging segmental arch canopy supported by stone brackets. The portal's entrance has a canted design with abstract voussoirs radiating from the round-headed doorway, and fixed lights with keystones to either side, above stone dedication plaques. Double wooden doors have metal detailing to the overlight, displaying the letter 'S' and the three-sword symbol of Essex. The first floor features a group of three tall sash windows within a stone surround, topped by a deep stone segmental pediment with a central clock. Behind the pediment is a tall mansard tower with a circular louver in a scrolled copper surround, capped with a stone cupola supported by arched openings with corner dwarf Ionic columns. A deep cornice extends to the side elevations, which are largely blind except for a narrow sash window to the rear. A later 20th-century extension and links to the central spine of the hospital complex are located on the rear elevation; these are not included in the listing.

The interior retains original features including plastered beamed ceilings, tall wood fireplaces, and a wide staircase framed by tall Ionic columns with metal balusters in an Art Nouveau style. A central dome on the first floor contains a glazed oculus.

This building served as the main administrative center for the second Essex County Lunatic Asylum, a large, echelon-plan complex built between 1910 and 1913 to care for approximately 1500 patients. Plaques record that the foundation stone was laid in 1910. It is a building of group value with a handsome facade and a well-preserved interior, architecturally announcing this early 20th-century former county asylum. The wider landscape of Severalls Hospital is separately designated Grade II on the Register of Parks and Gardens.