Search this site
Will Ellis’ Haunting Photos of Decaying Asylums and Hospitals in NYC
North Brother Island © Will Ellis / Offset
Staten Island Farm Colony © Will Ellis / Offset
North Brother Island © Will Ellis / Offset
Photographer Will Ellis keeps the spooky wonder of the boy adventurer alive with his photos of urban ruins and rubble. Through his blog Abandoned NYC, Ellis documents hundreds of forgotten locations scattered across the city’s five boroughs. It is particularly tantilizing to see hulking buildings in tatters and forelorn objects resumed from their last murky resting place. Ellis’ images from North Brother Island and the Staten Island Farm Colony are no exception.
Established as a city hospital for quarantinable diseases in 1885, North Brother Island’s Riverside Hospital has always been a place for intrigue and mystery. Not only purposefully marooned from the rest of humanity, the island itself is the site of a catastrophic shipwreck and residence of the infamous Typhoid Mary. Now closed to the public, Ellis was only able to explore the notorious location through special permission from the parks department. The Staten Island Farm Colony has been home to society’s unwanted for two centuries. The asylum was used in colonial times to house the poor, infirm, mentally ill and developmentally disabled. Living was cramped and crowded and it was rumored employees were constantly intoxicated. In the modern day, what remains is decaying walls and peeling interiors, shedding the layers of horror and history with each passing day.
North Brother Island © Will Ellis / Offset
North Brother Island © Will Ellis / Offset
North Brother Island © Will Ellis / Offset
North Brother Island © Will Ellis / Offset
North Brother Island © Will Ellis / Offset
All photos featured in this post can be found on Offset, a new curated collection of high-end commercial and editorial photography and illustration from award-winning artists around the world. Offset is an exclusive category channel partner on Feature Shoot.
