Construction of the Athens Lunatic Asylum began in 1867. It took 6 years and 18,500,000 bricks to complete. The elegant Victorian Italianate buildings were designed by a Cleveland architect named Levi T. Scofield. The objective was to build the grandest asylum the country had ever seen.

The Ridges Tuberculosis Ward was built in 1924 on top of a large hill, totally isolated from the rest of the facility. In the late 1970's, the building became the Beacon School for mentally retarded students and young adults. It was eventually abandoned in the early 1980's.