Last Stand State Hospital

(Click for Part II and Part III)

Apologies in advance for any blatant typos or spacey wording in this post. I’m on day three of being horribly sick with no sleep. Fun. I also appear to be trying to break a record for the number of times a person can sneeze in a day without their brain literally exploding. I’ll let you know how I do.

I’m happy (and a little relieved!) that I finally finished this set. This was my last trip of 2015, another shoot alongside my good friend Robert. I’m going to have to break this up into a few posts because I’ve never taken so many photos at a single location. I shot this place the way I shoot weddings; all-encompassing and eager to capture every minute detail. I took probably 2000 photos here, and ended up with over 500 finished edits.

A former state hospital for the insane, the first building I shot has served a few different purposes over its lifetime. It was originally built as an orphanage. In the late 1940s, it was incorporated into part of the hospital and used to house geriatric patients. In its final form, it served as an adolescent clinic.

Leaving the dining area, we headed down the hallway and poked around the random rooms along the way.

Every so often a section would open up into a large empty space. I enjoyed these. They were really pretty.

What a concept! Walls that aren’t covered in God-awful spray paint and glass that’s still in-tact.

There were patient files everywhere in here. HIPPA laws didn’t really come into effect until ’96. I dunno if that’s why everyone’s personal medical documents got left behind, but I would hope something like this couldn’t happen today.

Moving on, there were a lot more signs of how the building had been used to foster young people. There were lots of things you’d find in a classroom, like textbooks…

…And desks.

I was really enamored with the whole color palette here. The yellows were beautiful.

Patient quarters in my favorite hallway of the whole place.

This above ground tunnel connects to another classroom (or craft room) for kids. Ready?

Yep.

Something tapped me on the head while I was in here. No ghosts; just this ‘lil friend falling through the ceiling.

I mean, the beauty in this room…staggering. Nature is doing her thing, taking back what’s hers and creating this brilliant juxtaposition in the process. These are my mom’s favorite types of shots. I hope she likes these.

Part of why I got so snap-happy here was because I know I will probably not get to see this place again.

What’s left of this asylum is a fraction of the original layout, and even that doesn’t have long left. The larger buildings were demolished just a few years back. I’ve had to live vicariously through the stories of more experienced friends. These remaining buildings, minus Admin, are set to follow. An unbelievable shame.

I have much more to share from this day, later. ‘Til then.