Extravagant Fireplace

Wholly Goodness! That is absolutely amazing! I'm really in awe! Beautiful!

It's gigantic...

great pict.....that is the most awesom fireplace ive seen on here....good job motts...is it block or marble??

It's absolutely....gargantuan.

It looks "familar" to me for some reason, but it is very impressive

cool deal....ive never seen marble that looked so thick on a fireplace...nice piece..

Absolutely stunning!!! I've never seen anything like it! It almost looks large enough to walk into it!! I must be tired. Tried to translate "qui transtulit sustini" for you...Can't get the online translator to work...Need sleeeep...Can anyone translate that?

That looks too nice to burn anything in it.

Roughly translated it reads:

"Those who (or which) carry across to hold up." At least that's what I got..."qui" (those who) is conjugated from "quae" (which) I believe and "qui" is masculine...ok, if anyone knows for sure, please, correct me! LoL! :0)

Yes, Sir Bob...I mean Motts! :0)

Ok, so thinking about this more and how with literal translations you can get from the internet I think this is a possiblility too...words just in a different order.


"Those who hold up to carry across"

I think this is actually a better translation, rather than the literal one I got before...it's more of a "poetic" idea.

It makes more sense too.

Bri's like a Jill of all trades...well done :)

Wow, that fireplace is magnificent! And thanks for the translation Bri, I've completely forgotten my Latin : / ...all I remember is the conjugation of "silva" or forest...silva, silvae, silvae, silva, silvum, silvis, silvorum....etc....err something like that. I also remember puella, "girl" or something like that. :P

That is so pretty. Great picture

Marble comes in a varity of colors, or it could jsut as well be granite which is jsut as lovely as marble.
http://www.vincistone....rble_and_granite.htm

http://www.allgraniteandmarble.com/index.php

Maybe this place was run by Catholics. That would be "Those who hold up to carry a cross"

Family crest maybe?

That woodwork and fireplace will be saved before the demolition begins, I hope. The green almost looks like jade. Gorgeous.

I need that fireplace.

I really do.

I have never said this before, but.......OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! That is beautifull, i just wish dad were still alive to see it.

I looked it up and it's the Connecticut state motto:
"Qui Transtulit Sustinet"
He Who Transplanted Still Sustains
The state seal is there as well. Here's where I found it:
http://www.netstate.co...mottoes/ct_motto.htm

Sort of ironic that not only does it refer to those who came from Europe to the New World...but those who came to the hospital in need of mental health help.

Not marble, not granite, not jade. Think ceramic tile.

Thank you muchly, Autumn Twin. I don't trust these online translators very much and I had to try to remember the little Latin I learned in school...you would've thought I'd know more since I went to a Catholic school...but Oh Well! I was too busy concentrating on Spanish! Latin is a dead language anyway...(it's still pretty, though)

OOOOOHHHHHHH YEAHHHHHHHHH!

This site is an epiphany ! Like the Greek tragedies, or Shakespeare it reveals the human condition and bares the moral soul.
Thank you.

It may be high quality material, but I think the trees and the seal in the center are REALLY tacky!

it reminds me of a Coat of Arms, or Family Crest with an abstract attempt at two family "trees". Its quite strange, but a really cool picture.

It's difficult to believe so many people don't recognize the State Seal or motto.
Didn't they go to school?

Elizabeth~

Some people aren't from Connecticut, so why would they learn it in their school? I know my states motto and I know its seal, but I wonder if you would know it off-hand?

I lived In CT for a couple of years and I didn't recognize it. Of course, it looks a little worse for wear. I am a straight "A" student, by the way.

Qui Transtulit Sustinet...'He who is transplanted, sustains'. The CT state motto. It's the state flag, without the blue backing, for the most part. The two trees are most likely white oaks, the state tree (Charter Oak)

that is beautiful.

on the seal, 3 grapevines: Windsor, Wethersfield and Hartford

Oh my Gawd! This is the most gorgeous fireplace I've ever seen as well....... and it looks so clean inside to have ever been used.

Lynne honey will you share it with me?

We'd have room for another 1/2 dozen other folks in there with us, eh?

Count me in.

Motts - did it look like the fireplace had ever actually been used before?

~Me - great references for marble and granite - thanks!

Tiley - yes, I love ceramic tile. I believe it was around the Victorian and Edwardian eras when they were using it a lot in home architecture, wasn't it? I have some great old tile pix in a vintage magazine I lent to a friend at work. GREAT stuff. This particular fireplace puts me in mind of majolica tiles.
http://www.tile-heaven.co.uk/majolica-01.htm

psychadellic one - plenty of room, plenty of room!

Yea, there's nothing like a cozy fireplace

I'm with you guys. But not because of the fireplace, because I want to be with you. (now don't be getting out the emesis pan-thingies).

Lynn those tiles are beautiful!

Those tiles are absolutely GORGEOUS! Thanks for the link, Lynne! :0)

See? I'm not the only one with "emesis basins" on the brain! 8`-)

Yes, aren't those tiles fab? I wish they didn't cost an arm and a leg - it would be swell to figure a way to put some up around the house. Course, then you need a big ole mansion to go along with it. :-(

AND to fit that fabulous fireplace in!

Along the bottom,the inside of the firebox and the inserts above the mantle look like soap stone, i hope someone is decent enough to save this, i am sure it is one of a kind.

You're welcome, Bri!

I wish there was a Latin translator like Lycos's Babel Fish but I haven't found one yet.

This IS a very grand fireplace (something I'm sure few patients got to see)....I hope it's preserved whenever they renovate or restore this place.

Hey, Motts....any plans to return to "Gravesend" or The Pines?

OOOOHHH now why cant I have something like that in my living room???

F****** Awsome shot Motts.
That's what I love about your site, your eye for capturing stunning bits of architecture that may soon be lost, and sharing them with all of us.

Thank you.

Very cool - good eye for details. Keep it up.

Haha, Yay! someone who knew the State's motto. I"m from CT and the little plants in the seal are olive branches. I Love this site and was suprised to see how many hospitals were actually in my boring little state. Keep the pics comming!

Amazing photo, not to mention, amazing craftsmanship. I hope it does not wither away with the next phase of this building's history. I love all this teamwork too. Makes my job that much easier. Just sit back and let you all do the translating and other research. ;-) Thanks everyone!

Lynne, ill be there at the fireplace forum. Thanks for the link to the forum site and the updates.

Swell - you got it then! :-)

Thanks for the link Lynne, really beautiful tile! As for this fireplace, stunning! Especially in an abandoned building, hopefully it will stay this way, it shows wonderful workmanship and is simply breathtaking, very nice shot!

No soot at all in there... probably never used. kinda like a Caddy that never gets out of the garage

Shepherd Pratt started all their renovations- destorying the past, what the hospital originally was like- pulling up carpet on units, taking away the stained glass- taking all of the history out of it just to make money with an adolescnet "retreat" ward (the retreat is for rich people that don't have safety issues and aren't locked in- they come and go as they please (only on the grounds i pressume) But yeah, i remember when it was a beautiful place with lovely architecture (sp?) and wide hallways and a bigger living room with couches instead of individual chairs like they have on the new unit. okay, enough rambling about SP...

very beautiful and diffrerent

Remeber (people who are translating) that Latin can be written in any order. qui transtulit sustini could just as well be transtulit qui sustini.

This is a hospital? Looks like a mansion!

Motts,
It looks alot like those turn-of-the-century fireplaces that wanted to give the appearance of a woodburning fireplace yet had gas offices for those plastic log things. (sorry about the run-on sentence) Did you happen to see any Gas attachments? Also in the upper right hand corner of the wall, the circle caught my attention. Maybe one of those rounded pictures of the founder hung there? Or the current Governor's Picture in a rounded frame?

that fireplace is so unique and awesome! Whoever created it had some kind of talent and put alot of feeling within the creation.
Now days, at leats the state hospital I was in, they have centural heating and cooling now, and no such elabrate works of art as this fireplace.

I came back to this pix, and it still delights me. Those carvings etched on the frame of the fireplace is so awesome and beautiful. I know you all mentioned it being your state emblem, and it is pretty.

beautiful fireplace! this place seems real clean, all the photos so far don't show any rubble around

THIS IS AMAZING! I love this fireplace and the wood and the artwork on it.

FANTASTIC SHOT!

Plus there is no spraypaint on it BONUS

Beautiful fireplace. Beautiful rooms. Beautiful shots.

If this place was closer to Philadelphia, the entire site would have been defiled by graffiti. Apparently they only aspire to have beer and spray paint down there.

I recognized the seal and elms almost immediately. Living in Connecticut almost my whole life has done that to me.

beautiful shots. I just can't get over how amazing they all are.

its too bad you never got shots of HIGH POINT HOSPITAL IN GREENWICH CT BEFORE IT WAS BURNED DOWN

My goodness, a replica of an old English medeviel manse fireplace going back to the tudor era. My guess it was never functional and wasn't built to be so. It's so grand, I just can't figure out what it symbolized. Is it that one was entering a castle , a warm enviorment inviting in the lost souls the times? The workmanship is impressive, but ask youselves, what the hell was it for. Feedback be good.

So this IS a mental institution right?
You'd NEVER expect to see such NICE things that are so preserved in an Insane Ayslum......

Indeed, that is the Conn. State seal and the three-word motto is the state saying (is that the word?)

Something else, which NSH employees may remember...the two oak trees are also symbolic in that there is a gigantic oak tree on the campus...kind of hidden, it's not on the main campus...that was well-known on the campus. The former superintendent, Garrell Mullaney (now CEO of Conn. Valley Hospital in Middletown) would give ceramic tiles of this tree to employees when they reached like 10-, 20- or 30-year milestones with the hospital.

Wow...beautiful! It almost looks as if it were carved out of some type of jade. I love it!

I can't believe that it won't be there for much longer! I wish there was some way I could remove the fireplace and transplant it into my house, LoL.

What a beautiful piece of artwork! It should be in a museum for people to further enjoy!

looks like it was never used ...

One word.... ORNATE

It is comforting in na way that one art form that has been physically destroyed has been preserved by another form of art. : )

Wow. It looks like something you'd find in the White House or some wealthy businessman's ritzy estate. Definitely not something you'd find in a psychiatric hospital.

i seen that but its been taken out by some 1

me and my fiancee sleep in that room but of course the fireplace is no longer there cuz someone destroyed it but its pretty cool staying there we are trying to get people to come and stay wit us for the night when u guys get a chance take a look at our website www.hauntinghunters.5u.com

I hope Motts is right and that it was dismantaled and put in a safe place rather than destroyed by some jerks.

It's pretty destroyed...some pieces are on the ground, but it's gone gone gone.

Thats a real bummer!

Motts, planning on a trip back to NSH in near future? Would be interested to see photos of the adminstrator's offices, morgues, tunnels, power plant, employee's club house, cottages, doctors homes, and dont forget Pond View!

Motts, might I suggest at your next visit to NSH to get photos of the docks....were they just used to haul oil to the power plant or also to haul in patients? Have you found any decomposing bodies in any of the buildings of NSH? Did you see any interesting paperwork? I would be quite interested in seeing photos of it. Also, I wanted to know whether you noticed any of the tunnels were sealed off from buildings and if the tunnels are accessible only from buildings or if they can be accessed from outside?

Amazing photo...and amazing fireplace. Can't believe what good condition it is still in.

I hate to see this beauty die.
:[

wwwwoooowwww i love this picture good detail

this fireplace would command a great price in the uk. mint pic.

The trees on eather side are the State of CT Tree, the Charter Oak

they ( the st) are supposed to remove the fire place before destroying the bldgs- this is real marble- the doors on the admin bldg and windows were very expensive also- they did use it-----

that place is nuts i live in the next town over. ive been there a few times.... were you able to get into the tunnels? they ae pretty intense at night

Anyone know if there are times when the patrol isn't on duty? I've been there 4 times and caught 3 of them, and its quite the drive up to be turned around in such a short time.

yo i have been to this place what building is that fire place in

i have a connecticut flag at home i'll chek it out and get back to you

i know it sounds crazy, but the guy who posted these on the website wrote it down wrong, its



Qui Transtulit Sustinet


or what i think from studing Spanish is that it is somthing to do with how our ansestors came over, enough of that.

i wish i knew when the gaurds werent on duty... best bet would be really early in the morning like maybe 5 er 6 am

That fireplace would take up a good majority of my livingroom!

Our local newspaper - The New London Day - in CT. has an article on 'Urban Explorers' -http://www.theday.com/...8f-b16a-332f3714c622 - that's why I'm at this site ~ I checked out a few things on this fireplace ~ here you go for anyone interested ~ those are our state tree - the Charter Oak and the emblem in the middle is 'The Armorial Bearings' - Arms of the State - the saying means - "QUI TRANSTULIT SUSTINET" (He Who Transplanted Still Sustains)

I also read the article in the paper today, and have always wanted to see the inside of the facility .These paitures are awesome, Thanks!

I like how the room looks like it closed yesterday

THIS IS BREATH TAKING.
TO PUT SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL IN SUCH A SAD PLACE.
DID THEY SAVE ANYTHING FROM IT?
OR DID THEY JUST DESTROY IT AS WELL?

It's destroyed and gone. People suck and are evil.

i love the fireplace, but I love all fireplaces. I live in Florida, so no need for one really. I find them really beautiful and sometimes makes rooms stand out

You're close. It's "qui transtulit sustinet," meaning, "He who transplanted still sustains." It's the Connecticut state motto.

That fireplace is amazing! I grew up just up the road apiece from the Norwich Hospital, but the only building I've ever been in is the Administration Building. My father worked at the Norwich Hospital for years as a psychiatric aide. Fascinating photos!

The motto on the fireplace is Latin and is the state motto: "Qui Transtulit Sustinate" translated "He who transplants still sustains."

my dream fireplace.

"He who is transplanted still sustains"
(Qui transtulit sustinet)
This is Connecticut's state motto.

I really don't understand what some people find surprising about there being a beautiful fireplace in a psychiatric hospital. Would it be surprising in a hospital for people with cancer or heart disease? Does having a mental illness destroy one's ability to recognize and appreciate beauty? I think I must have read the comments wrong, and not recognized facetiousness.

I'm not sure if its considered normal but when I read that this fireplace was destroyed by vandals I felt like I could, quite frankly, rip someone's head off. What disregard for such beauty and history. They must have little respect for anything. It's disgusting. WTF? What is wrong with ppl today.

When was this amazing structure built? The clean firebrick indicates it was hardly used, if ever.

i just found this site tonight and i love it. the architecture in these buildings is beautiful and only enhanced by the wonderful photography

i love the ct seal with the oaks surrounding, and the woodwork extending above is magnificent... my mom is currently managing a move in norwich i wonder if we can take a little "field trip" (im homeschooled) here some day...

mariah<3

nice. who got that $$$$$$$
Is that still in the building now???

that is so cool its such a pretty piece of furniture i want to see this place more and more

I live a few minutes from this place...Qui Transinet Sustinet means...."He who transplants, still sustains." That is the state of CT seal. It's (Algonquin) Indian I think?

Gothic!!!

Pat is right
Qui Transtulit Sustinet
Language:Latin
Translation:He Who Transplanted Still Sustains

OH MY! Thats just fantastic! So glad you were able to shoot this before it was torn to pieces as i just read on to find out, What ahame!

The seal is the Connecticut state seal and the trees are the Constitution Oaks. Before the American Revolution, when the British wanted our constitution back, it was hidden in a giant oak tree for safe keeping. No constitution, no way for the British to remove our statehood. (that's the readers digest version of the story)

Actually whats written on the fireplace is Qui Transtulit Sustinet, it's in Latin which means "He Who Transplanted Still Sustains" or "He Who Transplanted Continues to Sustain", Norwich is in Connecticut the reason it's on the fireplace is because it's their state motto.

sounds like "quit traslating shit"

Wow, that is a beautiful fire place.

Fantastic!!!

...was there recently, but thanks to looters there was nothing left of this

Snipped from Motts' copied article, posted 6-26-2010:
"Preston hopes to save one structure, the former administration building, and convert it to town offices. But the town wants the building's former eye-catching centerpiece: A grand, tiled fireplace inset with a big, brass Connecticut state medallion. First Selectman Robert Congdon said he has been trying for two years to get the Public Works Department, which may have authorized removal of the fireplace, to tell him where it is."

I guess now we know where it is. Gone... in pieces... possibly destroyed by vandals or even the security guards themselves. Doesn't sound as though the removal was authorized, either, which may be why the Public Works Dept. hasn't told the Selectmen where it is.

My goodness! What a wonderful thing to do with marble, It must have taken forever to get all that detail onto one fireplace. It must have been a beautiful hospital when it was still open. I've seen all the other pictures & there's only a handful of differences between this & more modern hospitals, such as the mesh doors, the steel frame beds, & obviously the fireplace.

Oh, well that sounds much beter Rekrats

I worked at NSH from 1970 to 1974. The Brigham building had a tunnel that went to the main kitchen. We used it to walk the patients to breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can not access the tunnels from the outside. I worked in K-6, Kettle building 6th floor police hold ward. Most of the patients there were sent there by the local jails because they did not want to deal with the people. A lot of the patients were LSD burn outs, still on their "Trip" from Woodstock. I went to the Lodge Bld many times to restrain PTs from the Hartford area that were combative towards other PTs. and staff. We did our best to help every patient that was on our wards. We did care for them, they were fellow human beings. NSH isn't haunted, that's a bunch of bull! I lived on the ground in the "Male Home" across from the Nurses Home at the north end of the property. I used the tunnles during bad weather to walk to work out of the snow and rain. The fireplace in the Admin Bld. was never used, it was just for show, a grand fireplace just as NSH was a grand hospital.

love that wood work!

I just don't understand how people can let beautiful buildings go to waste. Reusing old buildings reduces our carbin footprint . That is what recycling is all about.

this is completely gone now...some dumb kids set this room on fire and other people stole the pieces of the fireplace

That's very sad news, anonymous. It really bothers me when a beautiful work of architecture is destroyed by vandals. (sigh)

I want to know who has that gem.........That had to be worth big bucks, also the marble steps, I had a relative who worked there.
She lived in the employee mini apartments....Cant get near the place now.

The fireplace was not taken by vandals. It was disassembled in 1996 and the stone was numbered and is being stored currently. I was security there at the time of this. The owners of the property aka advisory committee knows all about this. Its in safe keeping