The now demolished Northampton State Hospital, one of the first in Massachusetts and one of many built following the "Kirkbride" design, named for Dr. Thomas Kirkbride, a pioneer of mental health who believed that many mentally ill people could be rehabilitated. Most of these sturdily built and handsomely decorated buildings have now been demolished throughout the state, as well as the rest of the country. A battle raged here for over ten years between activists and preservationists, who saw the property as historically significant and reusable, and the town and state officials who were determined to raze it and reclaim the land. The campus includes over 750 acres just outside the downtown area, and is now slated for mixed use. Development will include homes and businesses, and the area will be named Villiage Hill.