THEN AND NOW: What 10 abandoned places in the US looked like before they became ruins

Today, it's a National Historic Landmark and museum.

• Read more:
• Abandoned hotels around the world and the stories behind them
• Take a look inside the Maunsell Forts, a group of abandoned navy towers you can only reach by boat
  
• Why these 17 islands are abandoned today

Eastern State Penitentiary opened in 1829. The prison's philosophy was radical at the time — inmates were kept in strict isolation that was supposed to encourage penitence, hence the name. Famous inmates included Al Capone and "Slick Willie" Sutton.

Prisoners' punishments at the penitentiary were torturous: water baths in winter until ice formed on their skin, an "iron gag" where a prisoner's bound hands were strapped to an iron collar in their mouth which caused the tongue to bleed with any movement, and a "mad chair" where they were tied so tightly that their limbs had to be amputated.

Reports of paranormal activity inspired the horror movie "Death Tunnel" set in the underground passageways used by staff to remove bodies from the building. The Waverly Hills Historical Society currently offers guided tours and paranormal investigations.

As many as 64,000 people may have died there, according to Mental Floss.

Michigan Central Station became a site of vandalism and theft until the city built a barbed wire fence in 1995. The station was set to be demolished in 2009, but the historic building was saved. It remains empty, but the Detroit city officials hope to refurbish it one day.

It was known as "Detroit's Ellis Island" with 54-foot ceilings, chandeliers and 68-foot Corinthian columns.

The Houston Astros baseball team and the Hoston Oilers football team moved on to new stadiums, and the last event there took place in 2002.

The stadium hosted sports games, conventions, and concerts with a capacity of 70,000 people. Some called it the "Eighth Wonder of the World."

The National Park Service is working on restoring buildings that can be saved, such as the store and post office.

At its biggest, 300 people worked in the mill and 200 to 300 people worked in the mines, according to the National Park Service.

The station closed in 1945, but the the New York Transit Museum offers tours to members.

The station was designed by Spanish engineer Rafael Guastavino, who was part of the City Beautiful design movement in the late 19th century and early 1900s. Guastavino in particular was known for his arches.

The site now offers tours (including one led by a former prisoner) and ghost hunting classes. It has also been featured in many film and TV productions, most famously "The Shawshank Redemption."

At its peak in 1955, the facility held 5,235 prisoners.

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation maintains the island as a bird sanctuary, and access to its crumbling remains of a morgue, boiler room, and dormitories is restricted.

"Typhoid Mary" Mallon, an early 20th century cook who infected dozens with typhoid fever, was one of the island's most infamous inhabitants. After World War II, North Brother Island was used to house veterans and later as a camp for troubled teens.

The resort's owner died in 1972 and the property was sold to a hotel developer, but nothing ever came of it.

At its peak, Grossinger's had 150,000 visitors every year and hosted entertainers such as Eddie Fisher, Jerry Lewis, and Milton Berle, according to Atlas Obscura.

Elizabeth Taylor married Eddie Fisher there, and according to The New York Times, it served as the inspiration for the setting of "Dirty Dancing."

In the 1960s, cheap air travel allowed a new generation to visit more exotic and warmer destinations, and the Borscht Belt was no longer the place to be.

New York-based photographer Marisa Scheinfeld grew up in the Borscht Belt. She set out to capture the crumbling glamour of the once well-known destinations in a photography book called "The Borscht Belt."