About LVPP
The LVPP organized in September 2023 and is committed to preserving, documenting, and sharing the history of Letchworth Village. Through the careful collection of documents, artifacts, oral histories, and archival records, we seek to honor the lives of residents and staff, safeguard the site’s historical significance, and ensure that its legacy is remembered accurately. By combining research, preservation, and community education, we aim to transform a history too often forgotten or misunderstood into a resource for learning, reflection, and ethical remembrance for generations to come. We also believe that the conservation, interpretation, and memorialization of the state school campus will significantly contribute to the preservation of disability history in the United States.
Why it matters?
Historical Significance
Opened in 1911, Letchworth was once considered a model institution for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Its rise and decline reflect broader shifts in medicine, social policy, and disability advocacy in the 20th century.
Opened in 1911, Letchworth was once considered a model institution for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Its rise and decline reflect broader shifts in medicine, social policy, and disability advocacy in the 20th century.
Human Dignity & Memory
Thousands of people lived, worked, and died there. Preserving the site acknowledges their humanity, ensures their lives are not forgotten, and counters the stigma of institutionalization.
Thousands of people lived, worked, and died there. Preserving the site acknowledges their humanity, ensures their lives are not forgotten, and counters the stigma of institutionalization.
Lessons for the Future
Documenting its successes and failures helps us learn from past mistakes and advance more ethical, compassionate systems of care.
Documenting its successes and failures helps us learn from past mistakes and advance more ethical, compassionate systems of care.
Preservation vs. Erasure
Without preservation, the remaining buildings, cemeteries, and archives risk destruction or erasure. Saving them provides space for education, remembrance, and adaptive reuse that benefits both the local community and the wider public.
Without preservation, the remaining buildings, cemeteries, and archives risk destruction or erasure. Saving them provides space for education, remembrance, and adaptive reuse that benefits both the local community and the wider public.
