Greenpoint Nurses' Residence: Inside Brooklyn's Abandoned Quarters

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1940s Greenpoint Hospital Campus Tax Photo There is a certain kind of quiet that only abandoned buildings have. Not peaceful, quiet. More like held-breath quiet. The kind that makes you hyper-aware of every footstep, every creak, every shadow shifting at the edge of your vision. I found that quiet on a cloudy afternoon in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, standing outside a chain-link fence and looking up at the old Nurse Quarters of Greenpoint Hospital. I had stumbled onto the building almost by accident. I was deep into researching other vacant structures across the borough when the Nurses' Residence turned up on the blogs. The fact that it sat close to home made the decision easy. One overcast day, I drove slowly down the block on a hunch, scanning the fence line. That is when I spotted it: a gap, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it. No rope. No gear. Just an opening and a window of time between passing cars and foot traffic. I slipped inside. The entrance foyer stopped me cold...
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Documenting the Jumping Jack Pump Plant






For a long time, this venerable and formidable pump house has withstood the treachery and explorations of many urban explorers. Only a few have ever found its true location within the state lines of New York. Before, only well-researched urban explorers found this pump house long before it graced the pages of Will Ellis' Abandoned NYC's long-heralded and well-published website. It has stood for many years out of the gaze of any unsuspecting explorer travelling within the state who may, by happenstance, find it just by driving. Unfortunately, you cannot "drive" and see this pump house. This place is located deep in a mixed-use neighborhood encased in businesses no one unsuspecting would find for it to be located there at the end of the adjoining driveway.




























 















Once inside, the treasures to behold can be found. Inside, you will find old boilers, coal dust, century-old coal, a flooded basement, three entombed car frames, and an infinite supply of remarkable graffiti artwork. This place will not disappoint the most ardent explorer out there. But be forewarned, inside has become wildly dangerous as stairs rust and fall to the ground, and crumbling ceiling walls give way to the encroaching elements.





The reason why it is called the "Jumping Jack Power Plant" was coined by veteran photographer and urban explorer Will Ellis. Behold the coal feed machine. Do you see the resemblance?




















One of the most sought-after and most photographed has to be the remnants of the forgotten chop shop located on the ground floor. Based on historical findings by Will Ellis, the ground floor housed a vibrant chop shop before being sealed by authorities during the crime cleanup in the 80's and 90's. The one complete car frame forlornly sits on two bricks, leaning to one side. This Chevy Citation has now received three coats of paint on the side of the driver's store since its location has become more knowledgeable to other explorers and vandals.















A four-door 1980 Chevy Citation hatchback frame. This Chevy was equipped with the four-cylinder Iron Duke engine at the time, which allegedly got 41 miles per gallon.










Inside is a smorgasbord of incredible lines and old machinery tucked inside. This power plant was once a humming energy conduit for the nearby neighborhood, but has long been forgotten. I've spent countless hours trying to find the true name of this abandoned power plant, but all my research has pointed to future developments of a different type of modernised power plant for this up-and-coming neighborhood.

In addition, the plant holds some iconic and legendary graffiti artists such as Klops and other unknown artists I've yet to identify. If anyone out there knows any of the following, let me know so I can update this post so they can be recognised. You definitely know good graffiti from amateur, since many people respect it so well that they do not erase or cover up with their own works. Respect earns mutual respect.










Klops





A very weird piece, but very interesting.















Hello Jen!





Klops graffiti.












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