Peeling Doorway and Light Switch, Kings Park Psychiatric Center

Kings Park Psychiatric Center operated in Kings Park, New York, from 1885 until its closure in 1996, at its peak housing more than 9,000 patients across dozens of ward buildings connected by tunnels and corridors. The state ran the facility as a self-contained community, with its own power plant, farm, and staff housing, before deinstitutionalization and funding cuts led to its gradual shutdown. Many of the ward buildings have sat empty for decades, and lead paint on the walls and door frames has cracked and lifted in long sheets as the structures went unheated and unmaintained. The New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation now controls most of the site, and several buildings, including Building 93, have been documented for their historical and architectural significance even as demolition has removed others.

Photo taken in September 2008.