Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Glendale Rockhaven Sanitarium

Rockhaven Sanitarium

Once a place of peaceful repose, this sanitarium now faces an uncertain future.

Glendale, California

Added By
Sarah Brumble
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Abandoned statues on the garden grounds   Avoiding Regret
Rockhaven Sanitarium more resembles a retreat   Avoiding Regret
Not what comes to mind when imagining an asylum   Avoiding Regret
Garden vista   Avoiding Regret
Inside the sunny residence halls   Avoiding Regret
Standalone cottage named “The Pines”   Avoiding Regret
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Scores of sanitariums once operated in the Crescenta Valley, and then they all disappeared—except Rockhaven. 

Rockhaven Sanitarium was founded in 1923 by psychiatric nurse Agnes Richards. After having worked firsthand in state-run asylums, Richards had witnessed the nightmarish treatment of those who suffered from nervous disorders and mental illness and wanted to provide a better option for patients. Her small, independently operated Rockhaven Sanitarium began with but one little rock house (hence, rock haven). This made it America's first woman-founded mental health facility.  

As Rockhaven's reputations for peaceful conditions and gorgeous scenery spread over the years, it attracted more and more patients, some of whom arrived quietly despite Hollywood's fan fair; Billie Burke, aka Glinda the Good Witch, spent time at Rockhaven, as did Marylin Monroe's mother, not to mention countless others. Eventually Richards' facility expanded to more than three acres in size, absorbing several neighborhood houses to accommodate its growing population. 

In 2001, Rockhaven was sold to a private hospital. Due to a lack of profitability, Rockhaven was officially shut down in 2006, but saved from demolition by the City of Glendale. Scattered throughout the site, many traces of the old garden sanctuary remain, including fountains, stone pathways, arches, and cottages. A non-profit organization dedicated to commemorating the good done at Rockhaven occasionally organizes tours of the site, preserving the site's unique history for generations to come. 

At the time of its closure, Rockhaven was the last institution of its kind in operation. Throughout its 80-plus years in operation, Rockhaven was known for providing respite amidst a landscape of struggle, both internal and external. Today it is heralded as America's first feminist asylum. Despite such praise, Rockhaven's grounds now sit eerily vacant as city officials debate what should be done with the historic landmark of healing. 

Related Tags

Obscura Day Locations Abandoned Abandoned Hospitals Abandoned Insane Asylums

Community Contributors

Added By

littlebrumble

Edited By

Craig Baker

  • Craig Baker

Published

March 18, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.scpr.org/programs/offramp/2015/07/17/43687/by-women-for-women-history-and-california-s-drough/
  • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sezin-koehler/saving-rockhaven-americas_b_7907322.html
  • http://www.avoidingregret.com/2015/12/photo-essay-retreat-to-rockhaven.html
  • http://www.avoidingregret.com/2013/02/photo-essay-rockhaven-sanitarium-closed.html
  • http://www.avoidingregret.com/2013/02/photo-essay-rockhaven-sanitarium-closed_23.html
Rockhaven Sanitarium
2713 Honolulu Ave
Glendale, California, 91020
United States
34.211328, -118.238394
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Descanso Gardens

La Cañada Flintridge, California

miles away

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

La Cañada Flintridge, California

miles away

Oak Grove Disc Golf Course

La Cañada Flintridge, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Glendale

Glendale

California

Places 7

Nearby Places

Descanso Gardens

La Cañada Flintridge, California

miles away

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

La Cañada Flintridge, California

miles away

Oak Grove Disc Golf Course

La Cañada Flintridge, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Glendale

Glendale

California

Places 7

Related Stories and Lists

18 Abandoned Psychiatric Hospitals, and Why They Were Left Behind

List

By Molly McBride Jacobson

Related Places

  • Letchworth Village canteen and kitchen

    Thiells, New York

    Letchworth Village

    Decades after testing the polio vaccine on unwitting patients, this historic mental hospital sits in ruin.

  • (Justus Hayes/Shoes on Wires/shoesonwires.com/Flickr)

    Coquitlam, British Columbia

    Riverview Hospital

    Historic psychiatric asylum and most-filmed location in the Great White North.

  • Argyll and Bute Hospital

    Lochgilphead, Scotland

    Argyll and Bute Hospital

    This ruins of an abandoned Victorian-era mental health facility.

  • The Isolation Hospital.

    Ghajnsielem, Malta

    Isolation Hospital

    This abandoned building, which is the second-largest structure on the Maltese island of Comino, has a complicated past.

  • Sanatorio Durán.

    Potrero Cerrado, Costa Rica

    Sanatorio Durán (Durán Sanatorium)

    This abandoned hospital is one of the most haunted places in Costa Rica.

  • Zofiówka Sanatorium.

    Otwock, Poland

    Zofiówka Sanatorium

    An abandoned Jewish sanatorium is tucked within the woods of Poland.

  • J.N. Adam Memorial Hospital

    Perrysburg, New York

    J.N. Adam Memorial Hospital

    An abandoned tuberculosis hospital moulders on into an uncertain future.

  • The exterior.

    Valongo, Portugal

    Valongo Sanatorium

    An abandoned tuberculosis hospital said to be haunted by the patients who died within its walls.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.