Comments

This room is about the same size as the horrible one I had in college, however briefly. And I had to share it. I can see myself feeling claustrophobic in this one.

I'm a psychotherapy trainee. After finishing all my therapy sessions, I just had to go back to this photo once again. It feels even close now.

I am so sad to report that today 8/1/13 the Hotel Sterling is gone. The buildings were being demolished over the last few days and today they leveled the remainder of the building.

I hope you wear protective gear when you enter these places. Looks like there's all sorts of toxins you could come in contact with. Safety first!

It's pretty amazing how nature takes back human creation, isn't it? Part of the reason why I enjoy urbex photography so much.

Breathtakingly beautiful. I have always found the light and colors of dawn and dusk to hold their own sort of magic...

Such clean lines... I really like this one.

Now, I'm not saying that anyone's supernatural stories are wrong, exactly. But what I will say is that the human brain is enormously powerful, and its creative ability almost limitless. We still can't build a CPU with more than a small fraction of the brain's computing power.

Bear this in mind, too: Everything we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell is a signal processed by the brain. You could say that it is impossible for us to know the REAL universe outside of these senses and brain signals. It exists. At least, we THINK it does. But does it really? What, exactly, does happen along the pathway between our senses and our brains? ARE there supernatural elements in the real world that we simply can't perceive, or barely perceive? Or are our brains processing signals incorrectly, or creatively adding onto them?

Abuse and "torture" are not so surprising when you realize that institutions like these had very lax regulation. Many were overcrowded and understaffed, making it very easy for abuse to take place. There weren't enough people to oversee the staff, and ensure that people were being treated humanely. When you've got easy avenues for things to happen without repercussion, invariably they will happen. People with such free-reign are very, very tempted to follow these dark avenues. As much as I'd like to believe that people have basic morality, there are plenty who will allow their darkest selves to come to light without any laws or supervision hanging over them and telling them how to behave. This is the exact situation in Lord of the Flies. And much as that book disgusts me, it holds a certain truth regarding human behavior.

So, were there bad things happening at these mental institutions? It's very likely. Does this history make a place creepy? Possibly, if you're susceptible to that sort of thing. There's a definite atmosphere in many of these photos, but I find it more depressingly beautiful than creepy. The stories do add flavor, and sometimes it's interesting to fantasize, but coming back to reality--these places aren't haunted. Scary because of unseen dangers (bad floors or asbestos) and potentially violent bums, but that's all.

I was at the hospital on December 26, 2012. that was the last time I was there. does anyone know any information about the sale? have they started doing renovations? or is there any security/surveillance?

The Office of Mental Health regulations would have required these items to be on hand and to be clearly labelled. This is standard procedure in all treatment facilities - they need to be there because if not you can fail an inspection.

Those colors pop so readily, for a moment I thought I was looking at a B&W photo with some color added, but nope, it's all color!

I don't care who you think you are. No animal "deserves" to be a coat, and people who think so are disrespectful, useless, and barren of humanity (furs make very warm coats but that's beside the point). Hate animals such as raccoons all you want, but take that trash somewhere else. This isn't the appropriate forum to air such views. Don't like the critter? Don't bother it. Better for you, better for the animal (which might have rabies). This coon is best admired from afar. And seriously? We're here to admire the photography, anyway, not to bandy around the uses of an animal, or decide who is dirtier.

Yeah, I know I'm years late, but I leave this here for the next person reading these comments.

Cool