Comments

You can thank the incredible Mr. Motts for his wonderful pics Cowgirl. I just post so much on his site about Byberry because it's one of my hobbies, plus I live nearby. Motts is the talent behind these pics. I was just along as a combination guide / comedy relief.

you like this place yet you want it to be knocked down?

clasic, ive always heard of these places and looked for them in many but never actually seena room with padded walls before. excellent work

this place is awesome, they should knock it down its been here since the 1800's.

It looks like you can launch some one out of the window on that thing

absolutly amazing!!

I've never even driven by Byberry... I've only lived in NE Philly for about I dunno, 7 years or so now. I'm actually getting an MSW now to work in the mental health field and worked this last year in an acute psych unit at another hospital in Philly that, thank God, is nothing AT ALL like Byberry. I got interested in this place after working on a paper about the history of the hospital where I was interning... Now part of me actually is seriously interested in checking out Byberry myself. Why, I don't know, I mean, I've actually had patients who were there as kids, dead serious. They went through total hell there. But I'm grateful for these photos cuz they're the only way now that I'm going to have any idea at all what they went through. And I kind've want to know, too, since I actually am someone who has a psychiatric illness myself. I look at this place and realize how lucky I am that psychiatry has improved like it has and that as a patient I actually have rights-- like the right to refuse treatment, something that could have actually saved some of the people at this place. As for graffiti and fires, as far as I'm concerned, go ahead and do whatever you want. I'd make my mark, too, to be honest, to prove I was there. I know this isn't where other people are probably coming from, but for me, I'd want to make it known that I was in there and made it out alive. Too many other people didn't have the chance to. I'd be doing it for them. And if it's desecration, what, is this the Louvre?? Get real! Come on now. Breaking the crap out of this place would probably be karmic retribution at this point. If that's the case, think of Anna and all the other patients who went through sheer hell in there day in and day out and beat the living daylights out of every inch of those buildings. Sorry for ranting, but I had to say all this. Anyway, thanks again for the great photos, Ed. They rock.

we used to go right outside the auditorium onto a set of steps, then we'd go up steps onto a roof and we finally found out how to get to the highest roof... go behind the stage all the way to the left then theres stairs and a long ladder... you can see like everything...

[Said with straight face]
Hey, Mr. Motts! Maybe that hole in the middle of the sink is where the light fixture goes! ;-)
http://www.opacity.us/image298.htm

i remember it was water up between our ankles and our knees, i think we were having a big storm or something... alot of people go when it rains...

THE CEILING, WALLS, AND TILE FLOOR IS SO TOTALLY 50'S!

IS IT LEAKING?

i think this is the room where i found old needles...

THE REFRIGERATOR LOOS LIKE IT WAS MADE IN THE 50'S.

"THE HOOD" LOOKS EXACTALY LIKE THE ONE IN MY CHEM CLASS!