The 10 Most Photogenic Abandoned Places in New York City

It's hard to imagine that while the citizens of New York City are packed into subway trains, walk shoulder-to-shoulder on too-wide sidewalks, and traverse crosswalks as a herd, there are places within this city that lie abandoned. No permanent residents and sometimes no entry to these places legally have created hauntingly beautiful and highly photogenic environments. Whether a hospital or an airport, military installations or theaters, New York City is never short on abandoned places. However, it might be difficult to find an abandoned amusement park there.

10 Renwick Smallpox Hospital

The famed architect, James Renwick, was commissioned to design a hospital that would stand on Roosevelt Island. In the 19th-century, Roosevelt Island was nothing like it is now, and this hospital was built specifically to house and care for those who were suffering from smallpox. Because smallpox was such a deadly disease and it spread rapidly in New York City due to a large population, this hospital saw over 13,000 deaths in a relatively short period of time.

It's not only the numbers alone that have visitors afraid to explore here. Paranormal experiences have been documented since it was officially abandoned. In 1975, the Renwick Smallpox Hospital was declared a landmark and efforts are being made to preserve the ruins.

9 North Brother Island

For those who survived their bout of smallpox, North Brother Island would then be their home until they could go home or found somewhere else to go. It had been abandoned for decades before being converted to housing for drug offenders. Most were very young and many were not there willingly.

When that project failed to have the impact government officials had hoped on the rising rates of drug-related crime in the city, it was abandoned completely. Today, this abandoned place may not be home to people, criminals or not, but it's home to many wild birds as a preserve.

8 New York State Pavillion

The New York State Pavillion was originally constructed for the 1964 World's Fair. Since then, it has fallen into disrepair and it sits largely abandoned. At the time, it was a perfect example of what was termed "futurism" that had those living during the 60s believing in flying cars, jet packs, and other forms of technology that have still yet to come to fruition.

Most of the Pavillion is walled off and seeing it first-hand is rare even though it is one of the few World's Fair structures that are still standing. However, if you'd like to get a good look at it, you might want to stream the movie Men In Black.

7 Loew's 46th Street Theater

The theater that sits abandoned on 46th street, aptly called Loew's 46th Street Theater, was the brainchild of architect John Eberson. It was originally constructed in 1927 and was one of the most luxurious and lavish theaters in New York City. Eventually, these types of theaters fell out of fashion and it been converted to a concert hall for rock music in the 60s and 70s. It was formally shut down in 1973 and sat abandoned for decades. Today, a renovation project has turned this historical theater, once abandoned, into apartment homes.

6 Fort Wadsworth

This fort doesn't look like something that is only a couple centuries old. Instead, it looks as if the site could be home to ancient Roman ruins. The precipices jut out at sharp angles and the fort looks like it may have been as secure as Fort Knox at one point. However, the fort now sits abandoned and is known as one of the most haunted abandoned places in the City. The 2016 film Nerve featured Fort Wadsworth in the final scenes of the movie which has garnered a bit more attention to it, raising the possibilities that the fort could be declared a historical landmark.

5 Brooklyn Army Terminal

Another military installation in New York City is the Brooklyn Army Terminal. The modern one that is still in use is vastly different from the abandoned one that at one point served as storage for military supplies and at another was a storage area for much of the moonshine that was confiscated during the Prohibition.

The large, industrial building seems to be going through a revitalization phase as this style becomes more popular. The famed chocolatier, Jacques Torres, has already moved into the space and other spaces are being made available for rent. Many of those involved in the art scene of New York City are interested in creating studios and galleries here.

4 Brooklyn Navy Yard & Hospital

Brooklyn has been home to many military installations over many years and in addition to the Army Terminal, you can also find the Brooklyn Navy Yard & Hospital. Built in the 19th-century, this hospital served many of the troops stationed here but the yard had been decommissioned in the 1960s. It had been completely abandoned for over 50 years.

However, today it is home to the largest film production studio outside of Hollywood, California. Steiner Studios took over the Brooklyn Navy Yard and invested more than $400 million into its renovation and makeover as a film studio.

3 Floyd Bennet Field

The original airport built for New York City was Floyd Bennet Field. At the time, and for many decades after it was first opened, it was home base for many famous fliers, including Amelia Earhart. While one hanger is filled with antique planes that make the hangar seem more a museum than ruins of an airfield, Mother Nature has been reclaiming this area of land.

It now belongs to the National Park Service which means that it is monitored and also that you are allowed to camp here at the ruins of Floyd Bennet Field. You are also allowed to hunt, use a bow and arrow, make a campfire, and other common camping activities here, all within the New York City limits.

2 Red Hook Grain Terminal

The Red Hook Grain Terminal was designed to store and transport grain into and around the city. The terminal never operated the way it was designed to which made it horribly inefficient. Most of the initial investments into the project were lost as the property went through several owners and was then abandoned.

Even the outside of the terminal is worthy of a photograph, but Lorde found the inside photogenic enough to make it the setting for her song, "Team." It seems appropriate as one line of the song lyrics read, "livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams." Recently, trespassers at the Red Hook Grain Terminal have received strict criminal sentences.

1 Seaview Hospital

Seaview Hospital could easily be the scene for a season of American Horror Story, or perhaps even a zombie thriller. It was a very busy hospital up until the 1950s, when treatment and prevention of tuberculosis created less of a need for it. Over the years, parts of it had been used as a nursing home and even a rehabilitation center.

While still offering visitors and photographers that beauty of abandonment, the empty beds scattered in the hallways, the stacks of x-ray films littering the floors, and the hundreds of biohazard signs on the walls is a sight that some may not be prepared for. The many experiences of paranormal activity here might just keep people away as well.

NEXT: 20 Secret Underground Places to Visit in New York City