New York City develops relentlessly — but its geography creates exceptions that no developer can reach. A smallpox hospital on an island in the East River, abandoned since 1875. An entire quarantine island accessible only by permit. A 1964 World's Fair pavilion left to rust in Queens for sixty years. An underground track serving nobody since 1945. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in New York City, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
Why New York City Is a Hidden Gem for Abandoned Buildings & Urban Exploration
New York City's abandoned sites survive because of water — islands in the East River and Upper Bay that geography protects from development, subway infrastructure too expensive to demolish and underground spaces that the city simply sealed and forgot. In a city where every square foot is worth a fortune, abandonment requires a fortress.
1. Smallpox Hospital, Roosevelt Island – 1856 Gothic Ruin Designed by James Renwick Jr., Open to the Sky Since 1875, East River (Known Location)
Designed by James Renwick Jr. — the architect of St. Patrick's Cathedral — the Smallpox Hospital on Roosevelt Island opened in 1856 to treat New York's most contagious patients in isolation on what was then called Blackwell's Island. It treated approximately 7,000 smallpox patients in 19 years before closing in 1875 when a larger facility opened on North Brother Island. The Gothic stone shell has stood open to the East River sky ever since — 150 years of exposure turning the Renwick stonework into something simultaneously ruined and magnificent. Now a city landmark stabilized by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation and freely visible from the island's southern tip. One of the most architecturally significant and most accessible abandoned places in New York City.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Renwick Smallpox Hospital
2. North Brother Island – Quarantine Hospital Island Where Typhoid Mary Was Held, Abandoned Since 1963, Accessible by Permit Only (Known Location)
North Brother Island in the East River between the Bronx and Rikers Island housed the Riverside Hospital quarantine complex from 1885 until 1963 — including the forced detention of Mary Mallon, "Typhoid Mary," who spent the last 23 years of her life here. The 1904 General Slocum steamship disaster killed 1,000 passengers near the island's shore; survivors were treated in its wards. After the hospital closed in 1963 the island was sealed and has been untouched for over sixty years — the buildings collapsing into vegetation so dense it is visible from the opposite shore. Accessible only by special permit from the NYC Department of Parks. One of the most legendary abandoned places in New York City and one of the least accessible.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
3. New York State Pavilion – 1964 World's Fair "Tent of Tomorrow," Rusting Observation Towers Still Standing in Flushing Meadows, Queens (Exclusively on Our Map)
Designed by Philip Johnson for the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, the New York State Pavilion featured three observation towers and the "Tent of Tomorrow" — a circular concrete structure 350 feet in diameter covered by a colored glass roof supported only by its perimeter columns. The pavilion appeared in Men in Black and The Wiz. After the fair it was used sporadically then abandoned in the early 1980s. For forty years the towers have rusted in Flushing Meadows Park while restoration plans cycle through the city's budget process. One of the most visually distinctive abandoned places in New York City and one of the best examples of abandoned World's Fair infrastructure in America. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
4. City Hall Subway Station – 1904 Guastavino Tile Vaults, Abandoned Since 1945, Visible from the 6 Train Loop (Exclusively on Our Map)
The original City Hall subway station — the first stop on New York's first subway line when it opened in 1904 — was designed by Rafael Guastavino with vaulted terracotta tile ceilings, skylights and elegant curved platforms. When longer trains made the tight curve impractical, the station was closed in 1945. The MTA sealed the platforms but the line loops through it — passengers on the 6 train can glimpse the Guastavino vaults and original green tile work as the train curves through the ghost station. One of the most famous abandoned places in New York City, occasionally accessible on MTA Historical Society tours. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Seaview Hospital and Farm Colony – 1913 Tuberculosis Campus with 50+ Buildings on Staten Island's Highest Point, Largely Abandoned (Exclusively on Our Map)
Built in 1913 on Staten Island's highest ridge to maximize the fresh air deemed therapeutic for tuberculosis, Seaview Hospital operated as one of New York City's largest TB facilities through the 1930s-50s before antibiotic treatment made it obsolete. The farm colony buildings — workers' housing, a chapel, dormitories and the massive main hospital — sit across a 177-acre campus in a remarkable state of layered abandonment, some buildings partially repurposed, others sealed and decaying. One of the best abandoned places in New York City for large-scale institutional urbex outside Manhattan. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips for Urban Exploration in New York City
- Legal awareness: NYC has strict trespassing enforcement — always verify legal access status before approaching any site and never force entry to any restricted area
- Island sites: North Brother Island is restricted — never attempt unauthorized access by private boat, it is actively monitored by the Parks Department
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and let someone know your location
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Abandoned Places in New York City
What is the most famous abandoned place in New York City?
The Renwick Smallpox Hospital on Roosevelt Island — a Gothic stone ruin designed by the architect of St. Patrick's Cathedral, open to the East River sky since 1875. Freely accessible on foot from the Roosevelt Island tramway or subway station, it is the most architecturally significant and most visited abandoned ruin in the five boroughs.
Can you visit North Brother Island?
North Brother Island is closed to the public and accessible only by special permit from the NYC Department of Parks, granted primarily for scientific research. Unauthorized access by boat is illegal and actively monitored. The island — where Typhoid Mary was imprisoned for 23 years — is visible from the Bronx shore but not visitable without authorization.
What is the City Hall subway station?
The original City Hall stop on New York's first subway line, opened in 1904 and designed with Guastavino terracotta tile vaulted ceilings. Closed in 1945 when longer trains couldn't navigate the curved platform. The 6 train still loops through it — passengers who stay on past the last stop can glimpse the ghost station through the windows.
🎯 Summary
New York City's abandoned buildings survive because water keeps developers away — a smallpox hospital on an island ruin since 1875, a quarantine island where Typhoid Mary died in isolation and a 1904 subway station glimpsed through the windows of a passing train. Each of these 5 abandoned places in New York City captures a different dimension of the world's most relentlessly developed city and the extraordinary places that even Manhattan's real estate market can't reach.
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