Exploring an abandoned insane asylum

The sprawling campus of the Rockland Psychiatric Center was once considered a picturesque escape for New York City's mentally ill. The facility opened in 1931 and performed a number of lobotomies and electroshock therapy sessions — both state-of-the-art treatments in the 1940s.

We explored the now-abandoned buildings that "represent in microcosm the history of the treatment of the mentally ill in this country" with "Abandoned NYC" photographer Will Ellis. Check out some of his photos of Rockland.

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