Abandoned psychiatric center

These haunting images show the interior of a facility once called a lunatic asylum. Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey was built to house hundreds of mentally ill patients, but it eventually housed more than 7,500. Since it closed in 2003, it has become a hotly contested property among preservationist.

Demolition work recently began on the building, but preservationists say it should be turned into a mental health museum and housing. Opened in 1876, Greystone built a notorious reputation because of the number of patients who committed suicide, were raped or became pregnant. The center was also used as a prominent filming location, it housed singer Woodie Guthrie, and it was frequently visited by Bob Dylan. (Caters News)

Photography by Matthew Christopher/Caters News

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