Its always rough when any decent spot gets taken away. However, I grew up in New Jersey. In the dozen or so years since I first stepped inside an abandoned spot I've watched hundreds of beautiful buildings (campuses and standalone structures) get leveled. Right around the time that Greystone fell I completely lost faith in historic preservation in general, especially in my home state. That being said, having a place like Muhlenburg taken away stings a little bit more than usual.
1.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
The Muhlenburg Regional Medical Center was founded in 1877 and served the citizens of Plainfield for well over 100 years before being shuttered in 2008. There was a huge outcry from the residents of the city, but their concerns fell on deaf ears. Hospitals were closing left and right in NJ, and Muhlenburg was not to be an exception.
2.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Despite being closed the structure retained power and heat, which always kept me on my toes while trying to get inside. One time in 2014 or 2015 a security gaurd saw me taking photos from the sidewalk. He drove up and told me I couldn't do that and I was breaking the law. Since I was just standing on the sidewalk I knew he was full of shit, but I let him think he won and I left. At this point I had already been inside at least 15 other abandoned hospitals in NJ, and none of them were protected like this. I knew this place had to be something special.
3.
Salamander State Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
I visited the building several times attempting to get inside between 2014 and 2018. In late 2015 I arrived to find the entire place boarded up on the first floor. Even then the power was still on. Each time I visited I would get more familiar with the building layout, but I was too still nervous to push myself. That all changed one day when kil.lil told me she checked on it the night before and found a way inside. She didnt go too far in but from what she saw it sounded amazing. The next night we recruited a close friend and headed out to the hospital.
4.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
5.
Salamander State Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
I couldn't believe I was finally getting to see the place. This was the last abandoned general hospital in New Jersey that I hadn't been to, and most of the others were lame. As we crept across the lawn and into a hidden alcove I was overcome with a that feeling I had gotten the first few times I attempted the hospital. The childlike trepidation and curiosity was something I hadn't felt from a building in years. We crept our way to the emergency room and I was in shock. The place was absolutely packed with equipment. I had never seen anything like this before.
6.
Salamander State Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
7.
Salamander State Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
8.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
9.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
10.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
11.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
After photographing the ER, we crept down into the basement to search out a pathology lab. What we found was so much more. A huge portion of the basement was entirely devoted to the subject. There were several labs and offices down there, one of which I quickly realized was the head pathologist's office. I walked in and found the room completely undisturbed. His dry cleaning was even still hanging on the door. There was one doctors coat for each of us. Naturally we threw them on and spent the rest of the visit wearing them, even leaving and walking right out to the cars with them. We had barely scratched the surface of this place and we were already floored. None of us could wait to return.
12.
Salamander General Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
13.
Salamander State Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
For the next few weeks we would return frequently to discover more of the place. It became clear fairly early on that there was all sorts of dated stuff inside that was supposed to be removed. Some of the items said 2014 on them. The more we found the more it became clear that they had still been using the building for storage long after the closure. That was part of the reason there was so much medical equipment inside; it belonged to another active hospital nearby. It also explained the overbearing security presence back in 2014. Each visit we thought "well, that's all the cool stuff" until the next visit when we found something even cooler. I cant even remember how many times we visited. We had the whole place to ourselves and we were loving it.
14.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
15.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
16.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
One day we were graced by a visit from JaneDoe, who knows a thing or two about a morgue. As we rummaged through the room she filled us in on what exactly we were handling, which really added another layer of appreciation for how incredible the room was. There were no specimens, and the table had been removed. Aside from that it seemed like they left everything behind.
17.
Salamander General Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
On another occasion my buddy TheSwanStation was in town, so naturally we wanted to show him our new favorite spot. We were all disappointed when we arrived to find that a large storm had mostly knocked out the power. We were disappointed but pressed on, and had another great night wandering around the massive maze of a hospital.
18.
Salamander State Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
19.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Unfortunately some local dipshit from instagram happened upon the hospital and ran his mouth to the worst of the worst local "urban tourist" instagram crowd, who all seemingly went and stormed the place at the same time. Two of these geniuses got spotted on the way inside, and the police went inside the hospital with security to drag them out. Just like that the spot that we had all been keeping under wraps was spoiled. At least it had a reputation now as a super difficult place to visit.
20.
Salamander State Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
21.
Salamander State Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
We continued to use the place as our own personal playground. After a dozen or so visits I wasnt even taking photos anymore. We would roll up in the middle of the day with no gear just to go in and check up on the place. Despite visiting frequently we never had problems with security. Then one day we were inside and heard voices. Then we heard footsteps, getting closer and closer to where we were. We popped out of our entrance and started walking back to the car. As we came around the corner we saw a work truck at the front door, which was wide open. We were relieved to have gotten out, but we were disappointed that out playground was going to be taken away.
22.
Salamander General Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Still we continued to visit the place, mostly just to screw around at this point. They even restored most of the power for us after everyone else was done with it. For kil.lil's 21st birthday we decided to have a party there. We invited a few friends, got a cake, and posted up at a table outside the hospital. By this point they had a fence around the place, and security had been told of the frequent hijinks that were going on at night. So they were doing a foot patrol as we were lighting the candles on the cake. Somehow they walked right past us without seeing the candles. We ate the cake, then popped inside. It was a visit to remember. A final hurrah for what will forever be one of my favorite places. Not just because it was an awesome place, but for all the wonderful memories I have with so many great people. That's what its all about for me these days.
23.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
24.
Salamander State Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Last time I drive around Muhlenburg it was sad to see. Gutted and half demolished, being picked apart further and further each day. It's supposed to be partially converted into a "medical arts" building, though the rendering appears to show a drastically different structure. Thanks for reading everyone. I hope anyone out there who hasn't found their Muhlenburg yet does soon. Just remember to enjoy it while ya can.
25.
Salamander Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr