3. Ellis Island Abandoned Hospital

On the south side of Ellis Island stands one of the quietest places in New York. The Ellis Island abandoned hospital complex, once one of the largest public health projects ever attempted in the United States and previously a model for United States medical care, stands now a remnant of its former self. World-renowned artist JR’s pictures of real immigrants who arrived on Ellis Island are integrated into the crumbling walls of the structure, bringing to life the walls that once held the passengers of ships waiting to enter New York City.

The hospital was originally used to check immigrants’ health and medical history before allowing them to start their lives in America during the early twentieth century, but it also served as a psychiatric hospital for soldiers beginning in 1924, as an internment camp for German, Italian, and Japanese Americans during World War II, as an FBI interrogation center, and more. Its eerie past and present isolation makes it a place that is both chilling and quiet. Check it out on an upcoming Untapped Cities hard-hat tour which offers access to locations not open to the general public:

Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Island Hospital