This news article will explain the history behind the former Travis State Hospital building. Travis State Hospital was a hospital unit and hospital building for both Travis State School and Austin State School that was operated by Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation aka TXMHMR (now TXDADS) from 1978 to 1996.
Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (TXMHMR) put up a bid contract for construction of a hospital unit for Travis State School in 1978. Travis State School was in need of a non-ambulatory patient ward facility and hospital unit for physically handicapped and disabled patients.
Shefelman and Nix Architects got the contract. Shefelman and Nix Architects designed the hospital building, dorms, and warehouse. Tom W. Shefelman was the architect responsible for designing dorms of Travis State Hospital. Travis State Hospital was constructed using brick and concrete. This entire hospital building was a single story structure that was 37,000 square feet for ambulatory patients and non-ambulatory patients. This hospital building eventually became solely for non-ambulatory patients only shortly after. (Ref: http://www.shefelman-nix.com/mhmr.html)
Travis State Hospital enhanced the quality of life for residents and staff at Travis State School due to controlled use of daylight.
Travis State Hospital was a hospital building which was built for Travis State School in 1978 to serve as an annex for non ambulatory patients. This building was known as Dorm 24 for Travis State School. Now Dorm 24 was the hospital unit for both Travis State School and Austin State School. Ambulances would be seen daily delivering and transferring patients.
Dorm 24 would officially open in summer of 1978. Now this entire hospital building would be called Dorm 24 aka Travis State Hospital which would later include 2 dorms called Dorm 25 and Dorm 26 to meet needs for the growing patient population. Dorm 25 and Dorm 26 were constructed after Dorm 24 was completed. Dorm 26 would open in late 1978. Dorm 26 was an another dorm for severely quadriplegic patients. None were ambulatory. Dorm 25 was a dorm for the physically handicapped. Dorm 24 was for specially designed for people that were unfit to take care of themselves or live in society.
The ambulance entrance for the hospital building was located in the very back. There was a sign above which read “Ambulance Entrance” indicating this was ambulance entrance. This would be used for ambulance parking also. A total of 2 ambulances would be parked outside way in the back. The ambulance entrance was 25 feet x 25 feet with a large amount of space.
The bathroom layouts of this hospital unit were interesting. The bathroom was designed for wheelchair patients. A shallow tub was used as whirlpool bath equipped with railings and a ladder. Showers were located next to the shallow tub. Showers were separated by low walls and stalls. Some of the patients admitted to this hospital did not have the motor skills to keep themselves upright even in a sitting position. The solution used by medical staff and caretakers was to strap them in.
Some of the patients from this hospital were buried on campus at Travis State School Cemetery. Many graves, tombstones, and other identifiers such as markers remain untouched despite the future plans from the Texas Government to remove such graves. The Texas Government decided to leave the graves untouched. The Travis State School Cemetery has fallen into disrepair. (Ref: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275659258_Cultural_resources_survey_of_selected_areas_within_the_Travis_State_School_property_Travis_County_Texas_1997)
All patients residing at Travis State Hospital had severe or profound retardation and were all severely impaired. They had severe medical problems, physical problems, and special needs as well on top of that. A majority of these patients had Down’s syndrome. They had no concept or awareness of what was going on in the world around them. Many of these patients didn’t have shoes on. Patients transferred or sent to Travis State Hospital were basically warehoused. (Ref: http://archives.stedwards.edu/digitalcollections/files/original/e6a0be43653e9d6bfa227eb741fa49d4.pdf)
Nearly all of them lived in Dorm 24. Nearly 90% percent of patents residing in Dorm 24 were quadriplegic. Only a handful were ambulatory or could move.
Travis State Hospital participated in the Austin suicide-prevention program in 1986. Some students were referred to a hospital such as the Travis State Hospital or Shoal Creek, for treatment. Two in-service training sessions on the subject have been held for teachers and counselors, and two university professors known as regional expert. (Ref: Austin American-Statesman, Page 25, Saturday, May 3, 1986)
The Texas Government and TX MHMR had began changing its focus from institutionalization to integrated placement in local communities as this trend was becoming nationwide in the United States in the 1980s. ‘State Schools’ began to see a decline in enrollment. This was a result from efforts in deinstitutionalization. By then, state officials began following this trend. (Ref: TXMHMR Public Information Office, 1989).
Now a handful of patients did go to school on campus. Physical therapy and music therapy was taught to their patients. Physical therapy was the main course taught on campus. The Travis State School functioned as an Independent School District (ISD) from 1981 to 1988 called Travis State School Independent School District aka Travis State School ISD.
Students enrolled in this school district were mostly compromised of multi-handicapped students that were non-verbal. Several of them had suffered scoliosis. Nearly 100% percent of patents residing in Travis State Hospital were quadriplegic. The vast majority of patients at Travis State Hospital had severe or profound retardation. They had severe medical problems and special needs as well on top of that. All were severely impaired. Nearly all of them lived in Dorm 24. The rest lived in Dorm 26.
After the year of 1988, Travis State School relied on the Manor Independent School District to provide academic instruction through its "mainstreaming" program instead. Travis State School Independent School District was closed down due to lack of enrollment and federal funding. (Ref: Handbook of Texas Online, Vivian Elizabeth Smyrl, TRAVIS STATE SCHOOL)
However Travis State Hospital would not operate without any incidents, abuse cases, allegations of neglect, or mysterious deaths. There were many deaths that were preventable that were cause by negligence and abuse.
One example of a mysterious death at Travis State Hospital was the drowning death of a man named Julio Espinoza Jr. who died in 1987 after drowning in a whirlpool bath while partially strapped to a chair.
Julio Espinoza Jr. was sitting on a plastic bench on a chair with a seat belt around his legs when he slipped into a whirlpool bath at Dorm 24 in Travis State Hospital on the Travis State School campus. He slipped under a belt that was used to hold him. He was left unattended for 10 minutes as staff was taking care of other patients. (Ref: Galveston Daily News, Page 4, Saturday, April 11, 1987)
By the time staff came around, it was too late to revive him. Resuscitation attempts were made by medical set on duty at that time and the Travis County/Austin Emergency Medical Service was called. His death was ruled an accident by the Travis County medical examiner. Julio was 36 years old at the time of his death. Julio Espinoza Jr. had been at the state school for about 27 years prior to his death. He was paralyzed from below the neck yet he could move his arms. (Ref: https://casetext.com/case/tx-dpt-of-hlth-retardation-v-davis)
The death of 36 year old Julio Espinoza Jr. was tragedy for his parents. Allegations of neglect and abuse against the school were raised in court by his parents. 3 employees of Travis State School were fired for the death of Julio Espinoza Jr. and were charged with neglect. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/18918191/)
As a result of Julio Espinoza Jr.’s death, Travis State School was terminated from the ICF/MR program for failure to meet ICF/MR standards. TDMHMR had been notified in mid-May 1987 that Travis State School then failed to meet ICF/MR standards. Travis State School lost its Medicaid funding because of inadequate conditions. This was not the first time Travis State School was terminated from the ICF/MR program for not meeting standards though. (Ref: Austin American-Statesman, Travis State School Loses Medicaid Funding, July 21, 1987)
Espinoza's parents sued MHMR for damages and punitive fines for the wrongful death of their son. MHMR asked for $41,222.60 from any jury award to Espinoza's estate "for support, maintenance, and treatment" of Julio Espinoza, Jr. Too many mentally retarded people were receiving inadequate care at MHMR facilities at that time. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/216710025/)
One other incident of a mysterious death at Travis State Hospital was a man who choked on his own vomit while sitting in a wheelchair unattended. His death was determined to be an accidental death.
A physically handicapped man who could barely move died as he choked on his own vomit while sitting in a wheelchair. He was nonverbal and could not communicate. His death was ruled accidental and no staff were charged for his untimely death. No policy changes were implemented on how to handle accidental deaths at Travis State Hospital. (Ref: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/358505798/)
Another incident of a mysterious death at Travis State Hospital was an 18-year-old man who choked on his own vomit while laying on a gurney in a body cast at Dorm 24 in 1987.
An 18 year old man died when he choked on his vomit after being left in a body cast after a surgery operation. He had been laying down on a gurney unattended. Somehow he choked on something while he was laying down. By the time staff came around, it was too late to revive him. It was discovered he was left unattended the facility was understaffed. (Ref: Del Rio News Herald, Mentally retarded students' deaths probed, Monday, April 27, 1987)
The 1990s saw an even further decline in ‘State School’ enrollment due to deinstitutionalization and healthcare laws. Effects of deinstitutionalization became statewide. Statistics in newspapers, reports, and books showed otherwise. Travis State Hospital began loosing patients.
Travis State Hospital had 204 patients in 1992. 100% percent of patients residing in Dorm 24 at Travis State Hospital were quadriplegic. The number of patients at Travis State Hospital dwindled to 104 patients in 1994. The numbers of patients at this hospital decreased as easy year went by. Travis State Hospital began plans for closure.
Travis State Hospital was closed and shut down immediately in 1996 as part of the state’s response to the 1991 settlement to Lelsz v. Kavanagh which was an abuse case. Travis State School and Travis State Hospital closed down as an agreement with the Lelsz v. Kavanagh lawsuit. (Ref: https://apps.hhs.texas.gov/sunset/section3.pdf)
Two state schools were to be shut down as part of the settlement and agreement in the Lelsz v. Kavanagh lawsuit for compliance purposes. Travis State School was selected to be closed down because of the alarmingly high level of neglect and abuse. The institution had a high number of mysterious deaths that went unreported and undocumented. Dwindling enrollment was another factor for Travis State Hospital closing down imminently.
All remaining 41 patients were relocated to nearby institutions such as the Austin State School (now Austin State Supported Living Center) and group homes by March 1996. This included patients from the Travis State Hospital. All patients had been successfully relocated by May 1996. This included patients from the Travis State Hospital.
Lawsuits such as Lelsz vs. Kavanagh, Turner, Rona and EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) vs. Travis State School, and Ruiz vs. Estelle were abuse cases that led Travis State School and Travis State Hospital to be shut down imminently. Travis State Hospital was involved in another lawsuit called Turner, Rona and EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) vs. Travis State School in 1996 which alleged violations of the Equal Employment Act. Texas has always historically been behind most US states to serve people with mental retardation within their own communities along with Alabama, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Illinois.
In 1996, local real estate developer Peter Barlin had bought the land Travis State School was located on from Texas Board of Control. The idea for Peter Barlin purchasing the Travis State School land and buildings was to create a private version of the public housing agency called Vision Village. His main intention was to create public housing. 
Vision Village was supposed to be a neighborhood for low income housing. The City of Austin gave him a $1 million dollar incentive for this land development. Organizers borrowed nearly $4 million from Austin, Travis County and a local bank in 1997.
However plans fell through when Vision Village lacked the management expertise and fund-raising ability to build the housing it promised. Local real estate developer Peter Barlin had been charged criminally with penalties such as embezzlement, conspiracy, money laundering, mismanagement, and fraud in 1997. More than $5 million had been poured into the project. Peter Barlin had owned the former Travis State School site that was once set aside for Vision Village, a project that never got off the ground despite more than $1 million from the city. The Vision Village costs had run deeper than dollars however. This led Travis State Hospital to sit vacant formally years to come.
All patients from Travis State Hospital had been successfully relocated by March 1997. There were none remaining. This included patients from Dorm 24 to Dorm 26.
Travis State Hospital would sit abandoned and vacant for a period of time from 1998 to 2010. For example, you could walk right into all the buildings in 2002. There was also no graffiti or vandalism. However the hospital was vandalized in just a few short years. This made it easy for scrappers to steal and vandalize the buildings for copper metal in order to gain a profit.
The Travis State Hospital building became vandalized and squatted between those years. Graffiti covered the building which has since been removed. Debris was left over from pervious construction teams who relocated nearly everything during the closure. Some items and various other objects were left onsite in the open. The hospital building fell into a state of decay and disrepair.
One example would be local criminal Reginald Dane Parker. Local criminal Reginald Dane Parker had apparently been stealing copper wire there from the location site before for years. The timeframe Reginald Dane Parker had been stealing copper wire from Austin State School - Farm Colony and Travis State School was from 2001 to 2005. Reginald Dane Parker was arrested and jailed for his crimes in 2007.
Several acts of vandalism and homelessness led TXMHMR to board up all windows with plywood for good then. Unfortunately that did little to deter vandalism and homelessness. Debris was left over from pervious construction teams who relocated nearly everything. Some items and various other objects were left onsite. Buildings fell into various states of decay and disrepair. Two of the buildings showed signs of squatters living there.
In 2006, KIPP Schools (KIPP Austin) had purchased the property from Peter Barlin and the State of Texas (TX MHMR). Some buildings however were still abandoned. These buildings were renovated overtime. Only few buildings were demolished. Security had not been set up to protect and secure property on a 24 hour basis yet.
However the Travis State Hospital building would no longer be vacant by 2011. Austin Police Department (APD) had set up their Child Protective Services division there in the year of 2011.
Today the Travis State Hospital building serves an undercover unit for the Austin Police Department (APD) and a Child Protective Services division (CPS). Closed-Camera surveillance cameras are now present and 24 hour security is actively on sight.
Travis State Hospital is located at 8509 FM 969, Austin, Texas US 78724.
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