Comments

How many original buildings were there? Are all of the buildings still standing?
Thank you, Sharon

Where is this place?! I must know...

I get the feeling that people destroy old stuff to remove reminders as it is for money or spite.

I think I'll vote for the explanation by nvusofmotts. Don't worry, I won't smack ya, lol

I don't know that I'd be running down a hallway that crooked, lol, I'd be leaning against the wall. Sorry, had to say that. It is a great pic, especially the way the windows line the entire side of the hall and light it full length.

WISH someone would restore! Always loved the beauty and detail in old buildings. Once it's gone, it's gone! Too bad, can practically see the kids walking up the stairs!

A paraphrasing of a paragraph from a 2005 essay by Elie Wiesel;

“During the period of the past century that I call Night, medicine was practiced by some in SOHO not to heal but to harm, not to fight off disability but to inflict it. In the conflict between Good and Evil during the third quarter of the 20th century in Belleville New Jersey at the Essex County Emergency Children’s Shelter the infamous duo of Aunt Dolly & Ms Janey, their minions along with the medical personnel of SOHO (the Shelter was in the original SOHO building) under her sway or desirous of her protection played a crucial role. They were the torturers and assassins in the science of organized cruelty that we called the child welfare system of Essex County New Jersey.”

Eldo I sent you an email

It's possible that this room was originally a seclusion room, where a patient would be locked inside for a while to keep themselves from hurting others until they calmed down. Door handles on the inside were usually omitted for security in these kinds of rooms.

Welcome to my corner of the assylum

It was the operating room. My Dad performed surgery here.

It is the operating room. I know. My Dad was a surgeon here.

This beatiful hall has special memories for me. I attended the Mission Grammar School, spent many Saturdays cleaning the convent and attending mass in Mission Church which is equally as beautiful. We were proud of our Catholic upbringing and had pride in our neighborhood. Then it all changed. The hood changed. People sold their homes and moved away...Crime, drugs, . No children left to attend and financially support the parish schools. There was also Mission High School on Alleghany St. As the years rolled on the buildings deteriorated, the sex scandals took even more folks away etc. It made more sense for the Redemptrists to sell . Believe me it met with disdain and sadness. Many measures sere taken to save the beloved Hall. Historical landmark, finding a theatre co. to take over.. nothing worked. Financially unfeasible. What a time a time it was.. now all that's left is a photograph......

Yay, information on your book. I liked your observation that "Halcyon" may have been a more desirable neighbor, than what is planned for the future". Halcyon decrepit as it is was a buffer.
Glad to see your post's, Pat and Wanderer.

Looking at 2014 satellite photography, it looks like the Phoenix House is still standing, although all the land around it has been cleared for new graves.

Sure, the photo is from the original asylum building, labeled as the "Shoe/Toy Factory" on the Dept. of Corrections map. I believe there were two stairwells on both sides of the symmetrical building, but I cannot recall which exact stairwell this photo was taken in.