Built in 1964, this relatively new psychiatric hospital was once known as one of the more upscale mental institutions on the east coast, boasting private rooms and bowling alleys and built with modern features unlike the other outdated and aging psychiatric facilities in the region. It even took on the nickname "The Haverford Hilton." The campus consisted of 17 buildings, the largest being the Acute Intensive Care Center, or its more common name, "Hilltop." A recreation building provided a full-length bowling alley, and tunnels connected Hilltop with the extended treatment and geriatric wards.

Overcrowding in the 1970s led to a decline in living conditions however; patients began sleeping in day rooms or even hallways. Many patients were kept in seclusion and restraints, as well as heavily drugged. Haverford State Hospital finally cleaned up its act in the 1990s, but by then patients were already being transferred to Norristown. The institute was abandoned in 1998; only 34 years of use was seen here.

Demolition of the site began in 2007, and was completed in the following year. The resulting "Haverford Reserve" consists of homes and condos on the northern side of the property, and athletic fields on the southern portion, as well as some natural woodland.