Casper Woman Takes a Leap of Faith on an Abandoned Building to Create a Mental Health Hub
Less than a year ago, most of us would've taken one look at the building on 701 Antler Drive and ran for our lives.
Once an oil and gas building, the 80's relic was hidden behind overgrowth. It had been abandoned for 15 years and taken over by raccoons and pigeons.
The building was once owned by Serge Delia, a co-founder for the sneaker brand Vans. If you had walked through the doors in 1979 you would've been confronted with a giant rug hanging on the wall.
It's currently rolled up and waiting to go to a business on Rodeo Drive for resale; when the new owners peeled it off the walls they discovered a number on the back for the original commissioner: Edward Fields—a New York company known for their luxurious designs.
In today's dollars, the rug would've cost $200,000.
It is hard to describe the state of neglect the once-fabulous building was in without seeming hyperbolic. Don't believe me? See the photos below.
But for Christy Tholl it is a dream come true.
A New Beginning
Today when you step into the building it's a breath of fresh paint, marble tables, and black leather chairs. Light streams in from all angles and the back of the building boasts an insanely gorgeous view of Casper Mountain.
Christy says it's exactly what she envisioned when she poked her head inside the decaying building for the first time. She, her husband Cory, and several of their friends have been busy bringing it back to life.
Best friend Heather Hintz has played a significant role in making this happen. Christy says she couldn't have done it without her. Hintz will be the business manager of the Hub.
Christy and Hintz hope the Mental Health Hub can be a place for practitioners to support one another. Mental health professionals spend a lot of time working one-on-one with people, focused on others for many hours, sometimes experiencing second-hand trauma, and burnout.
It's a tough job, but an important one. Especially in Wyoming, a state with notoriously high suicide rates and limited mental health resources.
SEE: Overdose, Suicide Deaths in Wyoming Increase for a Sixth Straight Year
Christy wants to help grow the medical professional community by creating spaces within the hub for students to train, in turn providing free care for those in need. She calls it the "beauty school" approach.
Once the students finish their provisional hours, pass an exam, and apply for a full license they are allowed to operate independently without a supervisor.
The remodel is not completely finished, but they currently have nine practitioners in the building. There are 23 suites total. As we chat there are literally people moving in. Cory puts the final touches on the locks.