Agnews Development Center: Built as Agnews State Hospital

Built as Agnews State Hospital. Agnews Main Building, a 5-story, red brick edifice, completed in 1888, was known as “The Great Asylum for the Insane”. The name Agnews came from nearby landowner, Abram Agnew.

The 1906 Earthquake leveled the 1888 structures. The present clocktower and surrounding buildings, designed in Mediterranean Revival style, were erected in 1908 by the State of California. Dr. Leonard Stocking, hospital superintendent, helped design the new facility.

Services for the mentally ill stopped in 1972. Agnews now provides support for developmentally disabled individuals. . This historical marker was erected in 1988 by City of Santa Clara Historical and Landmarks Commission. It is in Agnews Historic Park in Santa Clara in Santa Clara County California