2015 was a long year for a number of reasons, and as a result I managed to get out more than my previous best year in 2013. It helped to stop devoting so much time to posting regularly, which is why I've been mostly absent despite the bout of successful trips. I shot twenty five hospitals, a handful of mansions, some religious structures, and several other various blighted facilities in New Jersey and the surrounding area. I got turned away from some places, caught and charged at the location where I felt most comfortable, and met some really cool people along the way. Though we lost a few really great places this year, a few more have turned up. The cycle continues, with some new faces and some old ones too. I hope you all enjoy a quick overview of my year.
1. The first hospital is a personal favorite of mine. Recently, work on the grounds began towards an adaptive reuse plan that incorporates a handful of the original hospital buildings.
Victoria Kirkbride State Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
2. This second one was the flavor of the month for a while, but one that I had been eyeing for ages so we made the long trip one cold winter day.
Byrne Psychiatric Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
3. My girlfriends mother got me tickets to another spot I was dying to see, the Immigrant Isolation Hospital on Ellis Island.
U.S. Immigrant Isolation Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
4. I always hung out here at Overbrook. Until one day a police officer was waiting inside for us. We all got issued summonses for trespassing, and haven't been back inside since.
Essex County Overbrook Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
5. This other nearby psych hospital makes up for not being able to spend time at Overbrook anymore. We wound up here roughly a half dozen times this year.
Ivyland Psychiatric Center by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
6. This hospital is right near the last one, but much more vandalized. I usually don't bring my camera, I just shoot with my phone.
Letchworth Village for Epileptics by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
7. Another nearby psych hospital we have visited a few times.
Winchester Psychiatric Center by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
8. I will always remember this year as the year Greystone died. We made dozens of trips to document the demolition process.
Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
9. In addition, Marlboro Psychiatric, Newark United, and the Preakness Hospital were also demolished.
Preakness Healthcare Center by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
10. I had found this hospital years ago on google maps, but never made the trip because its on the complete opposite side of New Jersey. We wound up coming back a few times after not making it in on our first trip.
Honeycomb Community Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
11. We snuck into the recently closed building of another abandoned hospital closer to my apartment in May. Unfortunately security showed up within minutes of us getting in, so we had to hastily head towards the exit.
Glenn Psychiatric Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
12. Finally made it over to a psych hospital for children that I had been putting off for a while.
Central State Children's Sanitarium by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
13. I had also been putting off visiting this former sanatorium due to rumors it was being renovated, even though it was only a half hour from my house. By the time I made the trip it had already been beaten pretty mercilessly by local brats.
Santa Maria Sanatorium by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
14. Another sanatorium in a neighboring state. Had to wake up super early for this one, so we could slip past the watchful eyes in the active buildings next door.
Bayside City Sanatorium by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
15. Though this hospital near me only closed a few years ago, it was actually the first place I ever got caught years ago. There was active radio equipment inside an abandoned house on the property back in 2009, and when we were leaving we were greeted by two pissed off officers. They called the state DHS police to come berate us, but eventually let us go without charging us. After it closed, I was curious when I didn't see anyone else shooting the place besides my friend VacantNJ. I decided to check it out alone one day. After making my way into a few of the structures, I brought back my camera and a few friends.
Northern Regional Developmental Center by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
16. This campus was a total surprise after visiting another nearby hospital. It originally functioned as a state training school, but in recent years it has been taken over by a private academy. Several old buildings have been left to rot.
Barren Pines Developmental Center by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
17. This hospital was pretty cool, and it was actually being used as a filming location for a television show. The first time we visited, we were surprised inside by the caretaker who was fishing out a handrail to replace one in the active building next door. He was a small, happy Hispanic man. He asked us if we asked permission from the hospital administrator, who he mentioned by name, and when we answered in the affirmative he just told us to have a wonderful day and wandered off. We breathed a sigh of relief and went on shooting.
Simson Naval Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
18. We visited Kings Park for a party which wound up being a really fun time, until the cops showed up and we had to flee.
Kings Park Psychiatric Center by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
19. The next morning, hungover and confused, we headed over to this interesting place not too far from there with our hosts from the night before.
Sunburst State Psychiatric Center by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
20. I knew this small hospital was being renovated into senior housing, but I didn't know much else about it. Clues in the architecture led me to thinking that it may have been a sanatorium at some point. Sure enough, a quick google search led me to find out it was indeed the Middlesex County Sanatorium. With Passaic, Essex, And Bergen counties sanatoriums demolished, this is one of the few remaining County Sanatoriums in New Jersey. The Hudson County sanatorium is now renovated as condominiums, while the Morris County Sanatorium began a new life as a nursing home. Thankfully, this one was going to see new life too.
Middlesex County Sanatorium by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
21. We got up extra early one morning to make a trip we would never forget. Using the night as cover, we quickly glided across what is typically one of the most dangerous waterways in the Long Island sound. Of course, we were after the infamous abandoned Riverside Isolation Hospital on North Brother Island.
Riverside Island Isolation Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
22. The next hospital I visited is one that I pass by frequently, but due to the widespread violence in the town it's in I never made the time to visit it. One Sunday morning, I got up extra early to try and make it in the Newark United hospital which was being demolished. Upon my arrival at 6:50 a.m., crews were surprisingly on site, hacking away at the building. I knew that if I couldn't get in before 7am on a Sunday morning, I wasn't getting in at all. I made the short trip through the hood to this hospital instead.
Chancellor Irving Community Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
23. While camping out in Vermont, my girlfriend and I stopped by this recently closed developmental center on the way home. Armed with no knowledge of the campus, we stumbled into a few of the wards. Desperate to see more, we went back the next weekend with some helpful info from a friend. However, we found out the hard way that the tunnels were no longer a viable way to get from building to building. Regardless, we did still make it into the auditorium, and the wards from the week before.
Mountain Ridge Center for Developmental Disabilities by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
24. We also made a road trip to New England to spend some time with friends near the end of the year. They took us to this neat little hospital by our hosts apartment.
Kohr State Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
25. Finally, I made a solo trip to this massive blighted medical center just minutes from my apartment. I quickly ran through and got some photos before some loud banging brought to mind a stories of a friend of mine who ran into some serious trouble here. The modernized shithole was not worth the trouble, so I left with no intentions of returning.
Citron Memorial Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
In addition to all the hospitals we shot, we visited a handful of other spots around the area as well. Among the locations are several historic mansions
26. The first one my girlfriend and I found after making a wrong turn. It was originally an estate for a wealthy family, but it was renovated into a catholic school before closing a few years back. Renovations have started to bring it back to life thankfully.
The Herringbone Mansion by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
27. The next one I had been driving by for years but never had the chance to stop at. I'm glad I finally did. It was beautiful, and mostly original. It was, like the last one, owned by a catholic school. This one, however, is going to be demolished.
M'Loa Mansion by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
28. This next mansion was one that I had been drooling over for ages. It was one of the most beautiful in all of New Jersey. The owner got permission to tear down half the building, leaving the other half to stand open to the elements.
The Half Missing Mansion by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
29. This last mansion is one I never expected to be able to get in. It's huge, right off a main road, and surrounded by nosy suburban neighbors whose new cookie cutter houses basically touch the massive old building. Upon leaving, one of the suburbanites was at our car, phone to her ear, and as soon as she saw us she fled back to the building next door. We fled the place quickly, and haven't been back since.
Northernland Manor by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
We also visited several religious structures in addition to the mansions.
30. The first was originally a governors mansion, but became a friary when a monastery was built nearby. After several unsuccessful visits, we finally got inside this year.
Edgecliffe Seminary by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
31. This complex also started as an estate, but was renovated into a monastery/orphanage in the 1930's. We made a number of trips to the property before the caretaker became wise to our repeated visits.
Moundsdale Monastery by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
32. Next religious building I found my way into was this old church in Newark. It was stripped out for demolition before it came to light that the building was listed on the national register of historic places. Unfortunately it was too late to matter.
Queen of the Projects Church by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
33. This small monastery is right by my apartment. I've been visiting it for a while now. However, recently it was found by taggers who scrawled their illegible markings all over the walls.
Ridgeline Monestary Home by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
34. This building was originally a monastery and retreat home. In later years it was a missionary hospital, and has been rotting away for years now.
St. Agrippina de Mineo Hospital & Church by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Though we mostly stuck to these types of structures, we stopped at a few other buildings throughout the year as well.
35. This complex was a vacation resort nestled in a valley in the Catskills. After closing, it was supposed to see new life as a casino. However, plans fell through, and now the building is falling apart.
Ellen's Grand Resort by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
36. This building was a power station, but lost most of it's machinery long ago. This was one of many visits to the building.
Delaware Power Station by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
37. After a prior trip to the power station failed, we stopped by this school near it instead.
Spring Garden School by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
38. We found this next school by accident while heading through a busy east coast city.
Capitol High School by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
39. After getting turned away from various things in Newark, I found myself at the old jail a few times this year.
Essex County Jaill by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
40. I also stopped by this gutted shell that was once the Camden County Jail Annex.
Camden County Jail Annex by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
41. This old theater sits right next to one of my favorite restaurants by my apartment. After several unsuccessful attempts to find ways in, I finally found a door ajar one day.
Suburban Theater by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
42. These old trains have held my attention for quite some time, and I have made a few trips to them over the years.
Winslow Junction Trains by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
43. This complex of laboratory buildings sits just off the NJ turnpike, so I have been passing them my whole life. I finally decided to stop by one day. It turned out to be a really cool little spot.
Lead Labratories by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
44. This old farm colony served as a fun spot for lunch and a beer after visiting one of the hospitals from earlier in the set.
New York City Farm Colony by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
45. And finally, this was a jet engine assembly plant for the United States Navy. After getting turned down at a few hospitals in the area we settled for this.
Naval Aeronautic Engineering Facility by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
A big thanks to everybody who helped to make this year so much fun. It was pleasure to meet Mookster, Gravemind, Punchy, and SanitariumSean this year. We also had a lot of good times with VacantNJ, misstinaviscious and everyone else who isn't on UER or that I forgot to mention. Happy holidays folks, I wish everybody the best for 2016.
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