This is the third-floor hallway of an abandoned orphanage.
Opened in 1940 to house English children orphaned because of World War II, it continued operating until the mid-1960’s.
Now, bedrooms that once housed dozens of orphans at a time, pictured above and below, are empty and forgotten, and have been for over 40 years. The original green paint is faded and flaking…
The white-tiled bathrooms are in shambles:
Walking the halls, you’d never have any idea that children once called this home.
Except, for one clue: a beautiful hand-painted illustration, which still remains on one wall.
I can’t tell you how much I love this piece:
Delightfully whimsical, it’s made all the more poignant to think it was created as a small way of brightening the lives of children seeking refuge from the horrors of war.
One wonders how many children gazed on this with a smile, or perhaps slept beside it, dealing with a traumatic loss few could imagine.
A sun, a moon, and a star. I love the slight dots of brilliant white used to accentuate them:
It really is a wonderful piece, and if you liked it as much as I did…
…wait until you see the entire house:
Check back on Monday for the full tour…
-SCOUT
Oh my – I’d love to know more of the history; why did those children end up there (were there really no relatives back home after the war?) and what happened to them afterwards. Im eager to see what more you have about this.
As the mom of 5…2 home through adoption…this post speaks to my heart.
Was this place built as an orphanage for British war orphans or did it have another function before the war? The architecture is neo-gothic, which might remind the British kids of home. Perhaps that was on purpose.
Amazing find!
whoa, you ALWAYS find the best places. Thanks for sharing them with us!
Amazing. I used to live near a deserted ex-children’s home and it had a really weird feel to it. Creepy and sad at the same time.
What a gorgeous place and how sad that it has fallen into disrepair.
Beautiful. Haunting. How cool would it be if someone who stayed there as a child just happened to come across this site and saw these pictures? Wow. Mind you, they would be in their late 70s, early 80s, so I don’t know how Web savvy they would be. x
Oh, I worked on a film that shot there. We used it as a boarding school exterior. I had no idea that we weren’t that far off.
Where is this? Maybe the Bronx, Riverdale?
What an awesome job you have. Thanks for sharing the photos.
Thank you so much for posting this! How haunting and beautiful.
I enjoy your blog so much. Thanks, also, for taking us on your adventures.
–Joe
Wow. You scored another out-of-this world find!
Is that in NY? The murals are just amazing.
That illustration is so charming it breaks my heart.
As I was scrolling down the photos of those harsh, institutional rooms, and I read your comment about children calling this place home, I thought to myself, “Home? I doubt it. This is where they lived, but I can’t imagine anyone calling this place ‘home.’” and then I saw that painting, and I dissolved.
I can’t wait for the rest of the post. Thank you!
Wow. They should call TAPS to investigate that place Beautiful.
Thanks for sharing! Those images remind me of the Oz book illustrations by John R. Neill.
OH man! You are going to reveal the location aren’t you? Don’t be a tease….
It looks a lot like the house that serves as both the Luthor mansion in Smallville and the school in the X-Men movies! I swear I’ve seen it in other movies, though.
I’m going to hazard a guess and say that this building is in Britain rather than anywhere near New York. Sending British war orphans (were there even than many?) across the Atlantic in 1940 would have been very dangerous on account of German submarines. It’s more likely that they would have been relocated to rural parts of Britain – indeed, this was done in the cases of many non-orphaned children from London and other cities.
That kinda made me tear up a bit. I think I needed that.
I’ve been to this place a million times, but never knew this part of the history. They just featured this in a recent episode of Royal Pains (which I watch b/c they film locally and it’s always fun to spot places you know being featured as someplace completely different!) I was hoping that meant they were done with the renovations, but based on your awesome pics, I guess there’s still some work to be done. I hope they keep that mural–it’s so beautiful
Hey Lizzy do you know where this orphanage is?
thanks!
Peter, many children were sent over to the US from Britain. You might be interested in this article:
http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/air/evac/evac-os.html
“Childrens Overseas Reception Board (CORB) (May 1940)
The War news inspired private groups in America and the Dominions to offer a safe haven for British children. There were groups in Austrlia and New Zealand willing to take in chidren, but the distances involved meant that it the overseas evacuations would mostly be to America and Canada. The Government estblished the Childrens Overseas Reception Board (CORB) (May 1940). It ws assigned the responsibility of organise the overseas evacuation of children to the Dominions. [Wallace] It was at this time that the long anticipated Gernmen Western offensive was launched(May 10). Within weeks the BEF had to be evacuted from Dunkirk an France fell. It looked to mny as if Britain as next and the Panzers would be moving up Whitehall. Parents had submitted 210,000 applications by July when the scheme was closed.”