I toured two Ellis Island hospitals that have been abandoned for 65 years. Here's what they're like inside.

Frank OlitoAug 6, 2020, 20:22 IST

The hallways of the hospital lead to more mysteries.Frank Olito/ Insider

When Ellis Island was in operation during the early 1900s, immigrants who were deemed too sick or disabled to be admitted into the US were sent to hospitals on the south side of the island.
Today the hospitals are abandoned. In 2019, I took a tour back of the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital and the Contagious and Infectious Disease Hospital.
Inside, the walls are crumbling and the ceilings are falling down, but most of the structures have remained intact.
The morgue still has the cooling chambers where dead bodies were kept, and the chief of medicine's house still stands on the edge of the island.
The hospital was known for its pavilion wards, which were large rooms that housed 20 patients with the same illness. Today, the large rooms are empty and deteriorating.

For many immigrants coming to America, Ellis Island was the entryway into their new lives. The visit to the island off the coast of Manhattan would be a sojourn for most, but 2% of immigrants never made it to the mainland.

Instead, they were turned away and sent back to their home countries, while others were sent to the hospitals on Ellis Island to be treated for diseases like measles and tuberculosis.

Today, Ellis Island is a bustling museum that welcomes 4 million tourists each year. But the hospitals on the south side of the island are closed to the general public and have been left in ruin for 65 years.

In the fall of 2019, I gained access to the hospitals through a special hard hat tour operated by Save Ellis Island, a nonprofit organization devoted to rehabilitating the island. Here's what it's like inside the abandoned and dilapidated ruins.

Aboard the ferry from Manhattan to Ellis Island, I began retracing the steps so many immigrants took over 100 years ago.

The Statue of Liberty. Frank Olito/ Insider

From the ferry, I caught my first glimpse of the hospital that now stands in ruins near Ellis Island’s main building.

Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital from afar. Frank Olito/ Insider

As I approached the main building, I was reminded that Ellis Island was a source of hope for many immigrants.

Ellis Island. Frank Olito/ Insider

While Ellis Island was meant to be passageway into a new life, it was also a source of anxiety and fear.

Entrance to Ellis Island. Frank Olito/ Insider

Immigrants' fates were chosen in this room. Here, doctors took just six seconds to examine each immigrant to determine if they were healthy enough. If not, they were sent to the hospital.

Ellis Island's main room. Frank Olito/ Insider

Immigrants' fates were chosen in this room. Here, doctors took just six seconds to examine each immigrant to determine if they were healthy enough. If not, they were sent to the hospital.

Ellis Island is actually made up of three smaller islands which were not-so creatively named Island 1, Island 2, Island 3.

Map of Ellis Island and the surrounding areas. Google Maps

If an immigrant came to this diverging hallway, it meant they now had a 50-50 chance of making it into the US.

A fork in the road. Frank Olito/ Insider

Just outside the main hospital, I was impressed by the opulent architecture.

The exterior of the hospital. Frank Olito/ Insider

On my tour, the first stop inside the building was the laundry room, which washed about 3,000 bed sheets per day.

The laundry room. Frank Olito/ Insider

Cleanliness was so important they would even sterilize mattresses in this chamber.

The sterilizer. Frank Olito/ Insider

Next door is the Psychopathic Building, which housed any immigrant with a mental disorder.

The Psychopathic Building. Frank Olito/ Insider

Inside, the ceiling is crumbling and paper has fallen from the walls.

Abandoned room. Frank Olito/ Insider

While some rooms are badly damaged, others are filled with rusted and ruined furniture.

A filing cabinet in an abandoned room. Frank Olito/ Insider

In the bathroom, the stalls still stand, but the sink lies lopsided on the floor.

The bathroom. Frank Olito/ Insider

Adjacent to the Psychopathic Building is the maternity ward.

The maternity ward. Frank Olito/ Insider

After a brief tour of the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, it was time to make my way over to the Contagious and Infectious Disease Hospital.

Contagious and Infectious Disease Hospital. Frank Olito/ Insider

Once inside, I could immediately feel the sense of dread in the long, dark hallways.

A hallway. Frank Olito/ Insider

The hallways lead to rooms that are completely crumbling.

Abandoned room. Frank Olito/ Insider

Meanwhile, other rooms are strangely filled with aging chairs.

Chairs in an empty room. Frank Olito/ Insider

On my tour, in the morgue, small doors on a giant refrigerator were open, offering a glimpse into darkened chambers inside.

The morgue chambers. Frank Olito/ Insider

The room also acted as an operating theatre. More experienced surgeons would perform surgeries to educate the younger doctors.

Morgue and operating theatre. Frank Olito/ Insider

Walking from the morgue to our next stop on the tour, I noticed how some parts of the building were completely missing.

Missing side of the building. Frank Olito/ Insider

The hospital had 11 pavilions, which were large rooms that housed 20 patients with the same disease at the same time.

A pavilion or ward in the hospital. Frank Olito/ Insider

The most important feature was the windows. Since there was no real treatment for some of the diseases at the time, the only thing nurses and doctors could do was open the windows and let in fresh air.

A ward looking out on the Statue of Liberty. Frank Olito/ Insider

The most important feature was the windows. Since there was no real treatment for some of the diseases at the time, the only thing nurses and doctors could do was open the windows and let in fresh air.

The tuberculosis ward, however, looked different because of the severity of the disease.

Tuberculosis ward. Frank Olito/ Insider

Each room in this ward was equipped with two sinks — a necessary feature to stop the spread of tuberculosis.

Sinks in the tuberculosis ward. Frank Olito/ Insider

In the entrance to each ward, nurses' stations are now covered in dust.

Nurse's station. Frank Olito/ Insider

Down the hall is the kitchen, which served 500 people each day.

The kitchen. Frank Olito/ Insider

The large, wooden refrigerator once held the hospital’s chilled foods.

The fridge in the kitchen. Frank Olito/ Insider

Stepping out of the kitchen, I took one last look down the long hallway that seemed to stretch on endlessly.

Hallway. Frank Olito/ Insider

Next door to the Contagious and Infectious Disease Hospital is the chief of medicine’s home.

Chief of medicine's house. Frank Olito/ Insider

Upon entering the home, I was immediately greeted by a grand staircase that led to the second floor.

Grand entryway to the home. Frank Olito/ Insider

Although the living room is now covered in dust, I could still see the home's former grandeur.

The living room. Frank Olito/ Insider

The kitchen came equipped with a cupboard, a stove, and two sinks.

The kitchen in the house. Frank Olito/ Insider

Back outside, I took one last look at the massive hospital complex and was reminded of all the people who'd once been there.

The exterior of the hospital. Frank Olito/ Insider

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I toured two Ellis Island hospitals that have been abandoned for 65 years. Here's what they're like inside.

Aboard the ferry from Manhattan to Ellis Island, I began retracing the steps so many immigrants took over 100 years ago.

From the ferry, I caught my first glimpse of the hospital that now stands in ruins near Ellis Island’s main building.

As I approached the main building, I was reminded that Ellis Island was a source of hope for many immigrants.

While Ellis Island was meant to be passageway into a new life, it was also a source of anxiety and fear.

Immigrants' fates were chosen in this room. Here, doctors took just six seconds to examine each immigrant to determine if they were healthy enough. If not, they were sent to the hospital.

Ellis Island is actually made up of three smaller islands which were not-so creatively named Island 1, Island 2, Island 3.

If an immigrant came to this diverging hallway, it meant they now had a 50-50 chance of making it into the US.

Just outside the main hospital, I was impressed by the opulent architecture.

On my tour, the first stop inside the building was the laundry room, which washed about 3,000 bed sheets per day.

Cleanliness was so important they would even sterilize mattresses in this chamber.

Next door is the Psychopathic Building, which housed any immigrant with a mental disorder.

Inside, the ceiling is crumbling and paper has fallen from the walls.

While some rooms are badly damaged, others are filled with rusted and ruined furniture.

In the bathroom, the stalls still stand, but the sink lies lopsided on the floor.

Adjacent to the Psychopathic Building is the maternity ward.

After a brief tour of the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, it was time to make my way over to the Contagious and Infectious Disease Hospital.

Once inside, I could immediately feel the sense of dread in the long, dark hallways.

The hallways lead to rooms that are completely crumbling.

Meanwhile, other rooms are strangely filled with aging chairs.

On my tour, in the morgue, small doors on a giant refrigerator were open, offering a glimpse into darkened chambers inside.

The room also acted as an operating theatre. More experienced surgeons would perform surgeries to educate the younger doctors.

Walking from the morgue to our next stop on the tour, I noticed how some parts of the building were completely missing.

The hospital had 11 pavilions, which were large rooms that housed 20 patients with the same disease at the same time.

The most important feature was the windows. Since there was no real treatment for some of the diseases at the time, the only thing nurses and doctors could do was open the windows and let in fresh air.

The tuberculosis ward, however, looked different because of the severity of the disease.

Each room in this ward was equipped with two sinks — a necessary feature to stop the spread of tuberculosis.

In the entrance to each ward, nurses' stations are now covered in dust.

Down the hall is the kitchen, which served 500 people each day.

The large, wooden refrigerator once held the hospital’s chilled foods.

Stepping out of the kitchen, I took one last look down the long hallway that seemed to stretch on endlessly.

Next door to the Contagious and Infectious Disease Hospital is the chief of medicine’s home.

Upon entering the home, I was immediately greeted by a grand staircase that led to the second floor.

Although the living room is now covered in dust, I could still see the home's former grandeur.

The kitchen came equipped with a cupboard, a stove, and two sinks.

Back outside, I took one last look at the massive hospital complex and was reminded of all the people who'd once been there.