Carnate Institution (known by inhabitants of Carnate Island as The Asylum) is located on the western side of Carnate Island (though Dallas incorrectly says "east end of Carnate."). According to Consuela Alvarez, it was built in 1877 and was a Victorian era house until its conversion into a mental health facility ran by Dr. Killjoy in 1899. Though it hasn't seen any official use in several decades, the structure is completely intact and still houses a working generator and electric lighting. Oddly enough, it is used by correctional officers as a retreat and gathering place.
History
The house
Predating the prison by nearly seventy years, the house was built in 1877 at the height of the Victorian era. Who the house was built for is unknown. One of the more odd features is a quite large stage theatre complete with backstage dressing room. The interior of nearly the entire house was furnished and designed with the utmost decadence.
The house was constructed with an outer layer of large stone blocks, presumably from the quarry, and at least one layer of standard building bricks making the entire structure extremely durable. Aside from a few damaged areas, the building has survived exceptionally well for over one-hundred and thirty years.
Renovation
Twenty-two years after it's construction, it was renovated with padded cells, offices, and even a surgical "theatre." Patients were not simply housed there, but many, if not most, underwent psychosurgical experiments. The surgical theatre is not too unlike common hospitals of today in it's purpose. Many operating rooms (O.R.) have upper level observation rooms for doctors or patient's families to watch from. The style of the room, however, is obviously quite different.
Name
While the blueprints for the house's renovation and conversion refer to it as simply Carnate Institution, the specific name for it is Carnate Institution for the Alienated. However, most island inhabitants call it either Carnate Asylum, or The Asylum. Dr. Killjoy was known to give it a much longer name; Carnate Institution for the Tragically Troubled, the Impossibly Insane, and the Diabolically Disturbed.
Current status
Like the rest of the island, and all of its structures, the Asylum is owned by the state of Maryland and is under the jurisdiction of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Thought it has no official use for the building, it is often frequented by corrections officers. They have stationed a working communications radio in the library and keep the generator supplied with fuel.
Consuela's Journal entry
Self appointed Carnate historian Consuela Alvarez had this to say about the structure and surrounding lore.
On the far Western edge of Carnate stands an old Victorian home built in 1877. In 1899, the home was converted into the oddly titled Carnate Institution for the Alienated. The small institution was run by one Dr. Killjoy whose methods were far from conventional and often tragically lethal. What exactly happened to Dr. Killjoy is unknown, but the asylum was abandoned in the 1930's, and has been uninhabited ever since.