S ince 1909 the Mead Building has been a staple in Yankton history. It is now on its way to a full restoration so it can reclaim its place in the fabric of Yankton. In 1879 the Dakota Hospital for the Insane was established. Consistently crowded and underfunded, in 1899 a devastating fire took the lives of 17 female patients and destroyed a large building. Due to the tragedy, the superintendent of the hospital, Leonard C. Mead, M.D., vowed that all future buildings would be “rock-solid constructed of stone, with foot-thick walls, clay tile roofing, and concrete for fireproofing.” His influence can still be seen today, particularly in the building named for him, which will soon become the Mead Cultural Education Center. The Mead Building still stands tall on the grounds of the South Dakota Herman Services Center. It features Sioux quartzite, native to the region, and concrete. Built over a century ago as part of the Dakota Hospital for the Insane, the structure is a stately Neo-Renaissance style. The building is impressive on its own, but the real claim to fame is the grand marble staircase, which looks out of place for a building intended for use as a hospital. The historic campus was the plan of Dr. Leonard C. Mead. His vision was to create “an environment that would be therapeutically beneficial for patients instead of the sterile, fear-provoking asylums of the day”, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Over time the campus took on the feel of a New England college rather than a prairie mental hospital. According to the Yankton County Historical Society, “Dr. Mead felt that beautiful grounds and buildings were the key to helping his patients connect with some serenity in life. Because of his talented architectural abilities and assistance from his patients, Dr. Mead was able to create an environment that produced a 20-25% rehabilitation rate at the Human Services Center.” Dr. Mead’s theory sheds some light onto the architecture of the Mead building, including the marble staircase, open and airy rooms, classic columns, and wide porches. These features were used throughout the campus, but no other building was quite as grand as 54– Yankton, South Dakota the central Mead. It is fitting that this most impressive architectural example was named after the hospital superintendent and architect of the buildings. There were many other buildings on the historic campus, many of which have since been demolished. Once multiple hospital buildings and residential quarters stood alongside vast barns and farming buildings. The farms allowed the hospital to be almost self-sufficient. The farming was undertaken mainly by patients as part of their treatment. In addition to supplying the hospital with necessary resources, it provided a true purpose for those in the hospital and a sense of place and belonging. Over time mental health treatment progressed and changed. No longer were patients sent away indefinitely to afar away facility. The populations of mental facilities across the country fell, including the Human Services Center. With lower patient populations, many buildings, including the Mead, fell into disuse and disrepair. Dozens of buildings on the historic campus have been demolished or are beyond saving. In 2008 the Yankton County Historical Society renewed efforts to “Save the Mead”. In 2012 the Historical Society succeeded in securing a lease from the State of South Dakota to renovate the Mead Building for use as a museum and cultural center; the renovation is currently ongoing. Hundreds of windows and doors are being restored, the roof has been restored and replaced, and interior finish work has begun in many areas. By 2018 the building will reopen as the offices of the Yankton County Historical Society, the Dakota Territorial Museum, and the alumni headquarters and historical archive for Yankton College. Public tours and open houses are available periodically and showcase the work being done by the Yankton County Historical Society. Group tours are available by appointment. 107 years after it was built, the Mead is still an impressive piece of architecture with a long history, and even brighter future.