2015 was a rough year for NJ history lovers and explorers as well. Ten abandoned hospitals across the state were demolished, in the largest sweep in the history of the state. Here is a quick breakdown of each hospital.
Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital; Marlboro, Monmouth County. Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital was the first state owned hospital demolished by New Jersey (aside from the Skillman center). Though demolition started in 2014, it was completed right before the demolition at Greystone began I dont have any photo's as my only trip to the facility was a major failure. However, here is a news article with some photos of the buildings.
http://www.nj.com/...spital_begins.html Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital; Morris Plains, Morris County. As most of you surely know by know, the biggest loss of all this year for New Jersey history lovers was the Greystone Hospital. I'm not going to go into any real detail here, as I've already discussed the topic ad nauseam. but you can read more here:
http://www.uer.ca/...=1&threadid=118595 Greystone Psychiatric Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Valley View Sanatorium (Preakness Hospital); Wayne, Passaic County. The Preakness Hospital in Wayne was quickly and quietly demolished by the company who owned the buildings, Braen Stone. The building was originally the Passaic County Sanatorium, and was later a nursing home. It was built as a WPA project and designed by famed local architect Fred Wesley Wentworth.
Preakness Healthcare Center by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Preakness Healthcare Center by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Essex County Overbrook Hospital; Cedar Grove, Essex County. The Overbrook Hospital closed in 2007, and has seen several rounds of demolition since that time. In 2015, the gorgeous, ornate firehouse was demolished. In addition, one of the buildings was recently set on fire and a fence was put up around the campus. Demolition on the main campus is projected to be completed next year.
Essex County Overbrook Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Essex County Overbrook Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Essex County Overbrook Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Irvington General Hospital; Irvington, Essex County. Irvington General Hospital was a small hospital on the outskirts of Newark. Parts of the building date back to 1924. Demolition began on the tiny hospital at the end of the year, and is currently in progress. Though, considering how small the building is, it may be gone by the end of the week.
Chancellor Irving Community Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Chancellor Irving Community Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Newark United Hospital; Newark, Essex County The Newark United hospital sat in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city. I made a number of attempts to get inside the building, however by November the entire complex was gone.
Newark United Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Newark United Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Genesis Eldercare; Lacey, Ocean County This modern hospital was demolished early in the year. I attempted to visit the blighted building a few months back, only to find a barren field where the building once stood. There are no photos or news articles online that I can find. This one was definitely under the radar.
In addition to the demolition of these seven hospitals, three additional historic hospitals were saved and renovated.
Jersey City Medical Center; Jersey City, Hudson County. The entire Jersey City Medical Center was renovated in pieces from 2010 through 2015. The campus had 2,000,000 square feet of abandoned Art Deco hospital space. This complex was on the National Register of Historic Places, and as such several of the lobbies, theaters, and other gorgeous architectural elements were painstakingly restored. This campus also holds the Hudson County Tuberculosis Sanatorium, commonly known as the B.S. Pollack Hospital.
Jersey City Medical Center by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Jersey City Medical Center by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Middlesex County Sanatorium; Edison, Middlesex County The Middlesex County Sanatorium bares a strong resemblance to the Preakness Hospital in Passaic County. this one however, was renovated into senior housing. Being listed on the NRHP made demolition difficult, so the modern potions were razed and the original building will remain.
Middlesex County Sanatorium by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Middlesex County Sanatorium by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Essex County Isolation Hospital; Belleville, Essex County The Essex County Isolation Hospital was a sister hospital to the Essex Mountain Sanatorium in Verona. Most of the campus was demolished years ago, but a few of the old brick buildings and the main building were renovated and spared from demolition. The beautiful main building was sold and is undergoing renovations into condominiums.
Isolation Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
Essex County Isolation Hospital by
EsseXploreR, on Flickr
New Jersey lost twice as many historic hospitals as we saved this year alone. With demolition already on the horizon for three more hospitals in 2016, this is the beginning of a historic time
for New Jersey. This will be the period where a significant amount of our history was erased. Thanks for reading folks, I'll try and stay on top of as much of the demolition as I can, so that way at least future generations will be able to see what amazing buildings we used to have.
Thanks for reading folks.