Photo: "Preserve Greystone!"

In July 2008 Greystone Park Psychiatric closed and the remaining patients and Administration Offices relocated to the new facility less than a mile away.

Since then, the state of New Jersey has been deliberating over the best course of action for the decaying hospital. In the last few years, a group known as Preserve Greystone formed and has been advocating for the preservation of the massive Kirkbride building, along with hundreds of historians, preservationists and nearby residents.

Sadly, the state has not even entertained contracts of up to $100 million to restore the facility, but instead have chosen to demolish the building using $50 million of taxpayer money. Sometime later this year, the building will be demolished and over one hundred years of history, stories and medicine will be nothing more than a memory.

Photo: "Male Violent Wards II"

 

Tech: Canon 5D Mark III + 17 TS-E. Edited using Lightroom and DxO FilmPack 3

 

The Greystone Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey opened its doors to the first patients in 1877 and 342 patients were immediately submitted. 

The main building at Greystone was built following the Kirkbride plan and contained two wings, one for each sex. The violent wards, shown here, are at the end of the second floor of the male wing.

 

Photo: Female Violent Ward Collapse

Female violent wards, Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital - New Jersey

When the outer wings of Greystone Park Psychiatric closed in the 1970's, a plan to protect the roof was never implemented and after experiencing many years of extreme East Coast weather, the decay has become dangerous.

The hospital completely shut down in 2008 after a new hospital was constructed behind the original campus. Sadly, this beautiful historic stone building is slated for demolition later this year.

Photo: "Little Boxes"

 

Storage closet in the female wards at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey.

Over the last few decades much of this hospital has been collapsing due to weather and lack of upkeep. The Administration section of the asylum was the most recently abandoned portion, vacated less than 10 years ago, due to the construction of a new Greystone behind the current decaying building.

Unfortunately, this building is in danger of demolition and will likely be nothing more than a piece of forgotten history by the end of 2014.

 

Photo: "Violent Ward Doors"

 

Female violent wards at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains, NJ.

 

The Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital completely shut down a few years ago, but many of the outer portions of the wings, such as the female violent wards, have been in-operational since the 1970's.

Sadly, this hospital is currently on the list for demolition and is scheduled to be torn down sometime this year.

(Follow the 'Preserve Greystone' Facebook Page to stay updated  - https://www.facebook.com/preservegreystone )

Photo: "Memories of Four"

 

Painting in the female violent ward

 

Four years ago, I had the opportunity to shoot the Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey. I spent a mere few hours wandering the halls, feeling incredible rushed and unable to cure the longing in my heart for seeing the whole complex and spending countless minutes staring and photographing every detail of the asylum. 

When I returned home from that trip, I discovered about 30 of the less than 100 images I had taken, were missing off the memory card; I was devastated. 

Earlier this month, I had a chance to return and the asylum was as glorious as I remembered. Unfortunately, there is a lot more graffiti and destruction from the people who have set foot inside the walls since, but the natural decay was just as beautiful as I remembered. 

I saw this painting, in the female violent ward, four years ago. It was one of the images I lost and when I stumbled upon it again, I remembered exactly how it felt to stand in front of it and take a photo years ago. 

Photo: "Chapel Ceiling"

Chapel inside the Administration Building at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains, New Jersey.

Greystone Psychiatric Hospital was constructed along the Kirkbride plan and admitted its first patient in 1877. The outer portions of the male and female wings were abandoned in the 1970's, but most of the remained in operation until 2008 before fully shutting down. Sadly, this massive, gorgeous hospital will be demolished later this year. 

Photo: "Skylight in Lieu of Decay"

Greystone Park Psychiatric, in Morris Plains, New Jersey was constructed in 1877, following the Kirkbride plan, to relieve overcrowding at nearby Trenton State Hospital and was known as the largest contiguous foundation in the United States, from it's opening until the Pentagon was built in 1943. 

(Print: http://smu.gs/1gA9qti )

Photo: "Ivory Keys"

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Chapel inside the Administration Building of Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains, New Jersey.

In 1961 Bob Dylan made a trip from Minnesota to Greystone Park Psychiatric to visit singer and idol Woody Guthrie, who was being treated at Greystone for Huntington's disease. When Guthrie's disease worsened, it was assumed he was either drunk or schizophrenic and was placed in the institution for treatment.

Photo: "Russian Roulette"

Greystone _MG_6079.jpg

The Greystone Park Psychiatric campus was a self-contained community with vocational and recreational facilities developed under the Kirkbride plan and philosophy that the mentally ill, if in a conducive environment, could be cured and treated. Each of the wards were meant to accommodate 20 patients and had a dining room, exercise room, and parlor. The rooms were to be light and airy with only 2 patients per room.

Photo: "Lounge"

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Greystone Park Psychiatric was known as the largest contiguous foundation in the United States, from it's opening until the Pentagon was built in 1943. This facility was built in 1848 to relieve overcrowding at nearby Trenton State Hospital. In fact, the 292 of Greystone's initial patients transfered from Trenton. Within 4 short years of opening, Greystone was accomodating 200 patients above capacity. An additional dorm building was constructed and existing dining rooms were turned into dormitories to accomodate the patients.