Disclaimer: The hospital discussed in this post will be referred to under the pseudonym “SIM hospital.” I do this only rarely, when a location is on active grounds and/or fairly unexplored/unknown, as I don’t want to be responsible for vandals and scrappers finding an undisturbed place and going all Carrie Nation in there and and ruining it for everyone.
The Seaman’s retreat was Staten Island’s first hospital, constructed in 1831. It shares property with the Bayley-Seton Hospital, built in the 1930s. It originally served as a marine hospital, catering to naval personnel and commercial sailors. It also served temporarily as a quarantine station.
The day I was there, I talked to a local who told me there was an underground tunnel running from the hospital to the boat docks, used for the secluded transportation of sick sailors. He told me it was a medically unnecessary means of transport but done as a precaution for the building, since years prior, some citizens of the town burned down a nearby quarantine hospital out of fear of sick immigrants bringing new diseases to the island. He informed me that the tunnel was bricked up midway many years ago, but you can still see the entrance at the waterfront.
The hospital sometime during its active days, date unknown, photo c/o wikipedia
As the hospital expanded, buildings on the campus served a variety of purposes including a standard medical department, addiction treatment facilities, a psychiatric emergency center, a maternal care ward, community employment programs, and other public services. (I hope my effort to not repeat any nouns in that last sentence did not go unnoticed.)
The original building was also once used as an experimental bacteriological laboratory, which was set up in the attic, because of course it was. Everyone knows when you’re messing around with science, you have to do it in the basement or the attic or else it’ll probably all go as planned and that’s boring. Frankenstein’s monster? Created in a castle basement. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids? A suburban attic.
Dental chairs in the attic.
Attic corner full of old laboratory glassware and medical paperwork.
The hospital still functions today (as of 2013) in a larger building on the grounds, mainly as a psychiatric and addiction out-patient facility. The property, including the old marine hospital and other abandoned structures like nurses housing and medical wards, were purchased by the Salvation Army a few years ago in an attempt to turn the land into a community center. The plans stalled out and the property remain mostly abandoned, although the grounds are meticulously maintained.
Nurses’ quarters. Totally wrecked inside, not even worth one photo.
lights like these are good for warding off scrappers, because it means the building is still connected to to power, so they ought not go tearing into the walls in search of copper, as that would be a suicide mission.
Dental cleaning apparatus in the attic.
Old, foot powered, industrial sewing machine.
Ugh this hand-painted sign is amazing I want it gimmie. I hate knowing it’s down there in the basement where I can’t enjoy it with my eyeballs in my own apartment.
For more photos of this hospital, go to the Flickr set
Disclaimer: If any information is incorrect, if you have more info, or if you’d just like to tell me something, feel free to contact me.
To support my work and see new comics, go here. To buy books, original artwork, merch, and more, visit my website store. Follow me on instagram.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.