Massive Data Center Project Planned at Former Pennhurst State Hospital

It sounds like the setup for a tech-themed ghost story: a massive data center rising where a historic state institution once stood. But this scenario is very real. In East Vincent Township, Pennsylvania, a developer has proposed converting the former Pennhurst State School and Hospital campus, a site remembered for its difficult history in mental health care, into a sprawling data center facility. Local residents who once associated the property with its haunting past may soon see rows of servers instead if the project moves forward.

The proposed project would transform Pennhurst’s 125 acre property into a large-scale data center campus. Plans submitted to the township outline five two-story data center buildings totaling about 1.3 million square feet, along with an industrial support building and a new 5 acre electrical substation. Pennhurst Holdings LLC, which has owned the property since 2008, intends to sell the land to a data center developer.

Timeline: Redevelopment talks around Pennhurst gained traction last month as rising demand for cloud and AI infrastructure fueled interest in new data center sites. Anticipating such proposals, township officials introduced an ordinance to regulate future developments, adding limits on height, buffers, and environmental impacts like lighting, noise, and resource use. On September 11, Pennhurst’s owners submitted a formal site plan under existing zoning rules. The proposal is now under township review as a conditional use, requiring public hearings and board approval before construction can begin. As of October 27, both the ordinance and the data center plan remain under consideration.

Pennhurst isn’t just any empty tract, it’s a place with a complicated history, both historical and emotional. Opened in 1908 as an institution for people with disabilities, Pennhurst State School and Hospital was shuttered in 1987 after courts found civil rights violations against its residents. In the decades since, the abandoned campus gained notoriety as a paranormal hotspot and even operated as the “Pennhurst Asylum” attraction.

An online petition created by local resident Megan Heiken urges officials to seek alternatives that “preserve the Pennhurst property, honor its history, and protect the environment and quality of life” The petition has gained over 10,950 signatures as of October 27.

For now, the fate of the Pennhurst data center proposal remains uncertain. In the months ahead, public hearings and township decisions will determine whether this storied site transitions from a symbol of the past to a cornerstone of the region’s digital future.

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(The title image is an AI-generated depiction illustrating the transformation of the former Pennhurst State Hospital into a modern data center.)