Did you know the Navy Yard once contained it’s own Hospital, and some of its abandoned buildings still survive today?
Originally built between 1830 and 1836, the hospital grounds are currently the final untouched corner of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Many of the original buildings still exist, including the main hospital building, various quarters, workshops, and a combined carriage house, horse shed and garage structure.
This hospital has quite the place in medical history. It was home to one Doctor E. R. Squibb. Squibb invented anesthetic ether in his lab at the hospital. He was motivated to conduct this research from seeing so many patients who suffered painful injuries and lost limbs in war combat.
The hospital itself was decommissioned in 1948 and has thus far sat decaying ever since. Its time as a completely abandoned, dormant area is very likely short though. In 2015, Steiner Studios released a plan to redevelop it—knocking down some of the buildings while preserving others.
There are two little known fact about this hospital. Below ground, there was a tunnel system connecting the various buildings. This tunnel currently dead-ends at the cavernous basement of a building that was demolished long ago.
The other little known fact is that this location played host to the World Trade Center Memorial prototype. This article explains it further.
I also shot some additional photos of R95 using some old Black and White film. So if you’re feeling particularly Noir, check them out.
If you’re interested in a more detailed history of the Navy Yard, check out my latest book Abandoned Industries of New York Volume 2
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