Essex County Hospital
| Essex County Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Construction Began | 1896 |
| Current Status | Demolished |
| Building Style | Cottage Plan |
| Alternate Names |
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History
In 1896, a large portion of land was purchased by the City of Newark, New Jersey; the land was bought to build a new mental institution, known as Overbrook. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, many buildings were built that housed mental patients and other facilities, such as a power house, laundromat, and theater. In 1978 alone, there were 150 reports of patients gone missing from this complex, including one patient who strolled off in his pajamas, broke into a nearby home, took a knife and hammer and attempted to kidnap a woman in the house while stealing her car. He was later caught in a neighboring state.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the hospital's population peaked. However, during the 1960s and 1970s, new medicines were invented to help mental patients and the hospital's population decreased drastically. By the 1990s, the hospital had a very small population. There was no need for such a large facility anymore. Land sale to a developer has been completed, and demolition of the buildings on the grounds is expected to start in April of 2008.
Hospital scenes in the finals season of "the Sopranos" were filmed in portions of this asylum, as well as scenes from the upcoming movie, “Choke,” based on a novel by Chuck Palahniuk. In the movie, the hospital will be referred to as St. Anthony’s.
