The Ridges has long been a local legend in Athens. The former Athens Lunatic Asylum was once home to nearly 2,000 patients and, at one point, was the largest employer in Athens.
In the over 30 years since its closure as a mental health facility, it and the surrounding area have been revamped significantly. Today, the Ohio University owned property contains multiple university offices and facilities, the Kennedy Museum of Art and numerous hiking trails.
“I think it’s phenomenal,” Stephen Alvarez, a hiker on the Ridges trail network, said about the renovation of the area. “I think it’s nice, and I like the trails.”
The trails have provided guests with an opportunity to connect with the natural beauty surrounding the original Ridges property.
The asylum was originally built following the Kirkbride Plan, created by Thomas Kirkbride, superintendent of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane. Kirkbride believed giving patients access to fresh air and a natural landscape increased patient happiness and allowed them to be properly rehabilitated, according to the OU website.
The OHIO Museum Complex has recently worked to capitalize on the region’s scenery and wildlife. The Outdoor Museum was installed in 2021 as part of the complex.
Per their website, the OHIO Museum Complex exists to connect science and the environment to daily life. The Outdoor Museum contains various signs featuring information about plant and animal life in the region.
“The development of the Outdoor Museum was rooted in the idea of creating a space where people could gather and learn independently and through museum-led programming,” Basil Masri Zada, director of the OHIO Museum Complex, said via email.
While The Ridges itself is quite famous in the community, the recently-installed Outdoor Museum seems to be a bit of a hidden gem.
“The Outdoor Museum has been a massive benefit to the OHIO Museum Complex,” Masri Zada said. “It's become a key space for outdoor events and school field trips.”
Sandra Harris, the director of the Kennedy Museum of Art, also praised the space’s use, mentioning that “hundreds of kids” use the space for STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics, programs on an annual basis in conjunction with indoor activities.
Masri Zada said the Outdoor Museum provides visitors with opportunities to explore and learn in ways that aren't possible within the confines of the museum.
He said there are currently plans to add a pavilion and an ADA-accessible ramp to the space, bolstering its ability to be used for future events.
“It was designed to be flexible and evolving, and we’ve continued to build on that vision,” Masri Zada said.
