Here are Untapped New York’s favorite abandoned places in New York City’s five boroughs. Some are break-in-able, some open to the public, some only for the intrepid. It features some great summer escapes like Fort Totten and Fort Tilden, as well as some great winter expeditions. Some places are harder to access, like North Brother Island, and some of the abandoned theaters. And some of them, like the abandoned hospitals on Ellis Island, and the World’s Fair pavilion in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, you can visit by joining one of our popular tours.

A Vanishing New York: NYC

Seaview Hospital

1. North Brother Island

North Brother Island

North Brother Island, 22 acres off the coast of the South Bronx, has been abandoned for more than 50 years. Known as a former quarantine facility that housed infected patients — including Typhoid Mary — it is today in a state of decay. North Brother Island was shut down in 1963, though residents of the Bronx often headed to this area to party, something that has been cracked down on in recent years because of several dangerous incidents. Though the island is no longer occupied by humans, it is home to many bird populations and has been taken over by large amounts of vegetation. Check out our team’s previous exploration of North Brother Island here as well as the stunning images by photographer Christopher Payne.