4,023 Comments for Riverside State Hospital

the design of this place is amazing. there are alot of weird shadows going on though this shot would be really good if shot at a different time of day . Have you tried shooting at a different time?

Good shot nice contrast. is it displayed as shot or did you photoshop it at all?

It slices! It dices! It even removes fingers!

I went with my Grandma on Tuesday Bingo nights at her church when I was little. One night, she let me play and I got Bingo! Let me tell you, I was getting really nasty looks from some of those little old ladies! Looking back it was funny but my Grandma told me (not that long ago) that the time I won a few ladies told her that she couldn't bring me back because it was "their" game. She still took me along, but I never got to play again!

Wow! Those are EXACTLY the same mattresses provided by my school for dorm rooms... Thank goodness I have my own comfortable full mattress now! No more dorm bunks and weird mattresses! :0)

Ahhh...There's the chair!

Nancy, was certainly not suggesting EVERY member of your group is a scoundrel by any means. But there are a select number of folks from this group who seem very cordial on the outside... But if they want certain fans or have their sights set upon certain fans, I pity those who get in their way.
Though I have never been a member of your merry group, I have monitored your site for several years. And do know several members. As with all collector groups, this one too has a dark side. A few of the seemingly eternally cordial members have been involved in some pretty despicable behaivor all in the name of protecting their interest in obtaining fans.
Usually having obsessions are a fairly unhealthy thing. And one can safely say anyone who feels the need to have say 10,000 fans in their back yard is obsessed. (Yes, there actually are a collector or two who have literally 10,000+ fans in their collection.)

I just found the earlier poster who spouted off of how these fans were worth at least $2,000 and how he seemed to almost request some poor sap to go out and get him one, a bit off. These gyros are not worth at least $2k anymore. A well used one which needs repairs and restoration can be had for much, much less. This is beside the point of the logical notion that they do in fact have value and taking them would in fact be illegal.
As a photographer who trips upon places like this from time to time, I can say they are very unsafe in many ways. Sure some shooters have probably snatched a little trinket here and there. I haven't personally. But most photographers who take a little 'remembrance' aren't doing so to resell. They are getting their treasures from the photos they take and for what they stand for.
I was Not suggesting in Any way that the bulk of the fan collector population would indeed plan a raid to New England to hit this hospital. According to the updates anyway it is obvious that the building has been bought and is under lockdown and restoration. Usually the type of people who buy buildings like this make sure no such treasures hang around anyway. To anyone remotely familiar with restoring older buildings, these fans would stick out like a sore thumb and be promptly removed.
By the way, LH, wasn't even suggesting you were rubbing your hands together planning a visit to New England. We've talked before and your a stand up guy.

Some of the fan collectors do need to step back and take a breath and realize... They are Just fans.
I do have a few old fans I use in my photography. Have always had interest in them. Used them a lot back in Texas in the 50s. Definitely a reminder of a better time. Though do like the cameras of today a little better. They aren't built quite like my Leica rangefinder, but I can't argue with the good lenses they make these days.
Sorry if I offended the earlier fan collector. But just sounded a bit too much like you were trying to find some pickers to go stick their necks out. I just wanted to clear the air that in the present fan market, $2k+ for westinghouse gyros in unknown condition was a bit deceptive. Go find an Emerson Gryo.. then you can overstate value.

I love most all the pics on this site. It's good to remember.

If you like old fans, check out www.FanCollectors.org, the official website of the Antique Fan Collectors Assn. P.S. We are nice people, Williamson.

Ambitious appraisal by the novie collector aside, these westinghouse fans are neat, but not overly rare. Certainly not worthy of breaking into such a place as this to attain them illegally. Maybe 10 years ago this fan may have brought $1500-2000 in great original functioning condition. But thanks to ebay bringing lots of medium grade fans out into the open, a typical westinghouse gyro fan can be had for $1000, and sometimes less. There were three main manufacturers of these fans. Emerson, Adams Bagnal/Jandus and Westinghouse. Westinghouse gyros are the most commonly found. Then the Adams Gyros, which also don't sell for what they used to (once upon a time $4-5k, now your lucky to get half of that. Seem them as low as $1500 for the AB Gyros. less if they are in need of work. Emersons on the other hald got into the gyro game late and subsequently there aren't near as many around. Those lucky enough to find one would comand a solid price.
this fan pic recently got posted on a fan collectors site. So there are now some of the more obsessed collectors probably trying to find this place. Frankly many a fan collector are pretty greedy when it comes to finding any of the rarer fans (those valued over $500) and would step over their own mother to get one, as well as lie, cheat, steal etc. Many of these more desperate collectors are oddly the ones with enough cash to buy the things legit. But they would break into a place like this easily if there were a half dozen of them laying about. Forget the rats, decayed floors, other unpleasantness, and oh yeah, IT'S ILLEGAL.
I can smile at the folks who simply want to take cool pics. But when you go salvaging it just isn't cool. taking a picture is one thing.

Then, join the support group at Lyric's forum.

Face it, L, you are addicted. The first step to acceptance is to admit it to yourself.

This is among my first comments/posts, whatever, to Opacity. I want to apologize in advance if it becomes longwinded (Again). I have wanted to address a more or less recurring question that comes up; Why did they just leave that equipment there?

I sort of have an answer based upon my own experience. I spent quite a few years working for the government(well 18+)so my thoughts about this are based on observations, as well as hands on.

Ok, here goes (IMHO). When the government (state or federal heretofore referred to as Gov cause I am lazy sometimes HEH HEH insert Govt worker joke here) purchases, equipment they contract from company X for Y number of (lets say pretty institutional gray desks.) to be manufactured and shipped to warehouse Z for distribution to various facilities. Now imagine that the Gov contracted with X to produce Y=20000 desks per year for five years (Please, Please just making a point) you end up with a lot of desks right? Now all the pretty institutional green offices will be supplied with pretty gray desks plus a few left over. (Whew, am I long winded or what?) Getting long, time to shorten. Five years is over new contract for 100000 fake wood desks to replace gray ones, warehouse full of fake wood desks, old facility closes, the hell with grey, we'll use fake wood at new place, just leave the gray ones there we'll get them later if we need them. (Although they almost never do.). This applies to a lot of different stuff. I must admit though it was a lot more common 15 or 20 years ago (Age of abandonment of the buildings Motts photographs for us.)


Ok sorry way long.

Motts keep em coming just be safe man.

Umm....Grifspop. That is most defiantly a super high capacity soap dispenser...well....I may be off the mark. It might be just a sooooper soap dispensing light fixture.

*Mumbles nearly incoherently "Man why did I put up that first comment/post, now my fingers are going to just get carried away"*

I AM a recreational Opacity user I aint no junky, I can stop, sure I know I can.

*trembles* Anytime man, I can Stop sure

They are supposed to destroy all records, including those left behind by patients a/k/a Kim Carnes albums.

Fun word

Solarium

I think it has more to do with the fact that the former owners wouldn't want to pay their staff to remove records knowing they are closing (Overtime and all). The staff assumes that the owners will take of it.