The Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital Is A Fascinating Decaying Building

Ellis Island – the name is famous worldwide as one of the United States’ largest hubs for immigration. But over the decades, the island served as much more than just a place for arrival. Split between New York and New Jersey, its New Jersey half held a sprawling immigrant hospital that was a place of both hope and despair. Today it stands as a decaying monument to the island’s rich history – and it’s open for those who want to brave its grounds.

The Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital is a sprawling complex, easy to see from harbor tours.

As late as the 1950s, it was a key part of the island and played host to countless arrivals to the United States.

It specialized in treating immigrants, both those who were sick when they arrived and those with a condition that needed to be treated before they were allowed into the United States.

But isn't Ellis Island a New York institution? Not exactly - a landmark 1998 Supreme Court ruling granted around 83 percent of the island, including the hospital, to New Jersey.

The hospital has been off-limits to the public since 1954, but organized tours have begun to fund its restoration. Its psychiatric wing used to serve as a Coast Guard brig.

The most significant part of the hospital is its contagious disease ward, where tuberculosis and measles patients were housed.

Tuberculosis is highly contagious, so the patients were placed in isolation wards that look like eerie apartment buildings.

The autoclaves used to sanitize mattresses are still intact, although long out of use.

The operating room hasn't hosted a surgery in decades, but remnants of its sterile environment are still clear.

It's not all historic, though. As part of the effort to restore the island's historic sites, the hospital plays host to modern art murals celebrating the immigrant experience.

Have you visited Ellis Island? If you’ve taken the supplemental Hard Hat tour and explored the abandoned hospital, let us know about your experience in the comments section. To find out more about the hospital and how to visit, make sure to check out the official Save Ellis Island webpage.

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Ellis Island Immigrant Building, New York, NY 10004, USA

A Hospital Was Built And Left To Decay In New Jersey's Immigrant Hub

Raymond Goldfield

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