Abandoned Highrise Mental Hospital in the Middle of NYC - Operating Rooms and Padded Cells

The Proper People・2 minutes read

Bronx State Hospital opened in 1964, facing severe overcrowding and staff shortages by the 1980s due to underfunding, prompting a shift towards outpatient care and eventual replacement with a modern facility in 2016. The original structures are now abandoned, with exploration revealing remnants like a sealed morgue room, a dental chair, and an x-ray machine, but the future of the complex remains uncertain with plans for redevelopment stalled.

Insights

  • Bronx State Hospital, established in 1964, faced challenges like severe overcrowding, staff shortages, and underfunding throughout its history, impacting patient care and facility conditions.
  • The exploration of the abandoned hospital buildings revealed intriguing finds like a sealed morgue room and a transition from medical facilities to storage spaces, showcasing the evolution and eventual neglect of the complex despite initial redevelopment considerations.

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Recent questions

  • When did Bronx State Hospital open?

    1964

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Summary

00:00

"Bronx State Hospital: From Inception to Abandonment"

  • Bronx State Hospital opened in 1964 as New York State's first mental hospital in three decades.
  • The hospital's centerpiece was the 680-bed medical surgical building with advanced medical facilities.
  • Adjacent to the medical surgical building was the reception building, providing office space and patient treatment areas.
  • Some wards in the reception building were designated for disturbed patients requiring higher security.
  • The Bronx Children's Psychiatric Center was added in the 1970s to accommodate young patients.
  • By the 1980s, the hospital faced severe overcrowding, with over 100 patients exceeding capacity.
  • Staff shortages were evident, with two to three employees managing 30 or more young men in some wards.
  • The hospital suffered from underfunding, leading to inadequate patient care and high room temperatures.
  • Eventually, a shift towards outpatient care led to the replacement of the aging buildings with a modern facility in January 2016.
  • The original structures were left disused, prompting exploration of the abandoned hospital buildings.

38:08

Abandoned building reveals hidden secrets and decay.

  • The upper floors of the building were less interesting and seemed to have been used more recently, with a different layout on one floor including stairs not seen elsewhere.
  • The exploration led to discovering a sealed room that was likely a morgue, with remnants like a drain and a white-painted wall.
  • Moving to the H-shaped building, they found a dental chair and x-ray machine in storage, indicating a shift from a dental office to storage space.
  • The complex, once considered for redevelopment into a hotel and business center, now faces vandalism and decay, with no progress on the proposed plans and no updates on its future.
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