In 1870 the State of New York purchased land from local area farmers. In 1912, after the construction was completed, the hospital was opened boasting 32 patients. The campus began to grow at a rapid pace and soon had a total of 50 buildings. In 1959 the hospital is reported to have housed 7,000 patients.
During the 1960’s the asylum was described as overcrowded, poorly equipped, and understaffed. During this era the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric patients caused the decline of many asylums and mental hospitals. Without patients to sustain them they slowly fell into disrepair.
Today most of the buildings are empty and remain abandoned. Less than 500 patients were still housed in the facility during our visit in 2007. We managed to pass patients and ambulances on the immense half-abandoned and forgotten campus even though it was mainly deserted. Strange visions in this desolate landscape.
We explored building 25 and it contained cells, solitary seclusion rooms, a refectory and day room with strange paintings on the walls. Two sad dilapidated porches with thick steel bars are the only glimpse of the outside world patients could expect. One can only try to imagine and guess what types of mental illnesses were present in such a large facility with overcrowding.
Nope, this is not Kings Park!
I was going to say kings park in ny when I first say the pictures, by kings park doesn't have a building 25...though the outline of that building does remind me of building 93 from kings park.
Where in New York is this?
your shots at these hospitals are truely moving and amazing...
It is amazing to see how some of the paintings are still visible to make out what the objects really are. You and your team really bring the mental hospitals into perspective. It makes you wonder how those places were really ran.
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