Hi, thanks for commenting, but it is my wish to keep some real names of places off my website.

Thanks - yes there was a passage and stairwell on the left side. The right side dead-ended, so once you proceeded down a cell block there was only one way out.

Thanks - yep it was pretty wide open.

I don't think the bars were used for structural support, as there were cell blocks built in the same fashion without them. But yeah, the structural integrity of a building can definitely be compromised by scrapping the supports (the Packard Plant in Detroit is a prime example).

Nah the words just popped into my head :)

The smell was a little funky, nothing too horrendous. Seemed like the residents went to the bathroom outside, so at least that wasn't contributing. Really had to watch your step out there though.

Yeah I was noticing those square panels - I'm guessing they were for electrical/mechanical access to the cell doors, which were operated by a big old lever: http://www.opacity.us/image1195_levers.htm

Nah those are ceiling joists. Once the skylight glass was busted out, the weather washed away all the materials that made up the interior ceiling... probably plaster and lath.

It could be the the hospital that was between S. Quarry St. and Valentine Pl. Established 1889 as Ithaca City Hospital. Closed and re-purposed for the college in 1960; the buildings still appear to be used. There was also Ithaca Children's Home at 516 West Seneca Street.

Looks like fun Azuliana - it's always great when these massive steel mills can be re-purposed into parks and useable space.

I have only explored the Corcoran Building and the Sunburst Building, and have not seen anything that resembled an operating room in either. I believe these areas were used as dormitories, day rooms, and various treatments.

So much of the mile-long "String of Pearls" was demolished; I'm betting there were standard medical facilities any large state hospital would have (surgery, laboratory, morgue, etc) that were also torn down. Or, perhaps these medical buildings have been renovated and integrated into the NYIT campus.

Thanks - not sure why there was less tagging up here, but it wasn't particularly hard to get to. The smokestack seemed more of a target, and probably even taller: http://www.opacity.us/image9063_downriver.htm

Thanks Janice. It seems pretty tough to track down family member history from the DMH (department of mental health). You can try contacting them, but I found this reply posted online, which doesn't sound too optimistic:

http://archiver.rootsw...s/2012-10/1351111134

For a deceased client or patient, DMH may only release records pursuant to a valid Court Order or upon written authorization from the client's Executor or Administrator of the client's estate. This is true even for very old records. Also, even if there was a Court Order or Probate Court authorization available, it is possible that any records from 1991 and prior (if they even existed in the first place) may have been lawfully destroyed. State regulations permit the destruction of impatient records older than twenty (20) years old.

I'm in NY less frequently these days and I haven't seen Bennett in a few years. The old NZ psych hospitals definitely look like fun - good luck stax!

Nah, I assumed they were empty or like a naughty kid's stocking at xmas.

Thanks; yeah I was surprised it was so clean as well. I believe the place was welded shut for quite some time and pretty secure, until scrappers cut their way in to grab the copper. They're there to make cash, not spend it on spray paint.

Yup!

On that day, probably get hypothermia pretty fast.

When the plant was open and the gates to the water intakes were open, I'd assume there would be a pretty good pull, not sure if it would be enough to suck a floating person down though.

From here I believe you'd go down the tube, through the large turbine blades, down the large brick tunnel which makes up the outflow... and then a dropped into the river from behind the Niagara Falls water curtain.

It does seem like he was touched by "institutionalization" - getting so used to living at a static, unchanging place for such a long time, it's difficult to return to a changing society.

Thank you for sharing.

No - but it seemed narrower than the standard gauge.

I'm assuming they went back and forth since they were cable driven, but I don't recall seeing the winch mechanism so I'm not positive how it worked.

Yeah I thought it was crushed too, but it's possible that the lamp shade is intentionally curved in like that to prevent blinding a worker stationed at the same elevation.

Thanks R.E., these look intriguing. Wish they were real (and abandoned)!

Nah it isn't too hard to find most of these places... although a bit of a time buffer isn't a bad thing for the more sensitive locations.

I wish I could post photos soon after I take them, but there are many other things that take priority for me; time is a precious commodity. In these years (2003-2010) I was in a very big hurry to see and capture as much as I could - there would be time to work on photos later.

I'm still glad I made that choice, since so many places are now gone.

Those blue things are actually the conveyor belt rollers that were once lined up the center. I'm guessing most of them were scrapped.

I think you're thinking of Pilgrim State Hospital in Brentwood Long Island.
http://www.opacity.us/...m_state_hospital.htm