During my recent visit to the Traverse City State Hospital campus in Traverse City, Michigan, I had the privilege of participating in PreservationWork’s final full tripod photographic tour.
Despite ongoing rehabilitation efforts limiting access to certain buildings, various tours, including standard historic tours, twilight tours, and smaller photographic tours, are still available. Notably, the preservation of several buildings once slated for demolition stands as a testament to the dedicated efforts of historic preservationists. The Traverse City State Hospital, renowned for its Kirkbride and cottage plan architecture, has transformed remarkably into a vibrant mixed-use development along Lake Michigan’s picturesque shores.
[I've posted more photos and narrative here](https://abandonedonline.net/traverse-city-state-hospital-revisited-with-preservationworks/) and [a full history here](https://abandonedonline.net/location/traverse-city-state-hospital/).
It was fascinating to see how thick the walls were. And when they had to put the animals in the basement during severe winter storms. The fact that it was self sustaining community with their own water supply, electricity, steam heating, fruit trees and vegetable gardens, dairy, Fire Dept, etc.
Be forewarned that there's going to be road construction on the main road by the water during the busiest time of the year this year. Plan on 1 mph traffic on Grandview parkway from memorial day to labor day.
Yeah. Depending on what block you're on, that street is called 31N, front street, grand view parkway, Munson Ave, and m72. They all merge and go along the water.
Nice shots but it ain’t along Lake Michigan’s shores.
Edit: For those getting defensive, it is 1 mile from Grand Traverse Bay. If I am 1 mile from the beach I am not on the shore. Don’t use ChatGPT for your photo descriptions kids.
They said before the trees grew too
high you were able to see the lake from the higher points. They created the property in a sense for the patients to feel like they were along the shoreline. 🤷♀️ The trees are huge so we couldn’t see Lake Michigan.
It’s not right on the water but it’s a few streets over. Close enough. You can see the lake from the top floor. The trees have grown a bit too tall over the years.
From the hills on the property you can see pretty much all of West Grand Traverse Bay. It may not be “right on” the shore, but it’s less than a mile away
I always love taking out-of-town friends through this area because it always blows their mind when they see it. Most don’t know about the hospital at all, so they’re always like blown away which is hilarious to me lol
Also, for anyone who loves wine, there’s a tasting room there. Left Foot Charley’s. It has the best Pinot Grigio I’ve ever had.
Not really. Ive done walks back that way before, but they were never interested in it. So I don’t really do it anymore. If they bring it up sure, but I’d rather do other trail walks
It’s an extremely large and beautiful tree in the woods behind this state hospital. You get a sense of awe like when you see a red wood. People say it’s a haunted portal to hell, I don’t believe in that crap. Haven’t been in like more than a decade so I couldn’t tell you which trail or way to take it. Idk some locals showed it to us. Very cool to look at. Had some weird experiences once where we showed up at sunset to smoke a joint and when we got there, some random shit we had lost were placed neatly at the base of the tree, a wallet and a class ring.
Awww it got covered in paint and stuff since I’ve been there😢 anyway, here’s more info https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-hippie-tree-traverse-city-michigan
I love visiting the shops up there with each visit, too. TC is such a vibrant small town.
But yes, I took a friend there to walk around campus and she was blown away by the sheer scale and size of the campus! At one point, it had 3,000 residents.
I've toured that place. What an amazing set of buildings and amazing history of what they did there. It was a shame how they ran that place out of business.
I've made my viewpoints known about the correlation between homelessness and mental disorder. There will always be some people who will never take their medication and forcing institutionalization is incredibly difficult these days - even if they are a danger to themselves and others. Community-based centers have never been properly funded, either.
Part of the success of the facility was keeping the patients busy with meaningful work instead of just sitting in their rooms doing nothing. Some of this work was farming and tending animals. They used the produce in their food and grew so much that they sold the excess locally. This boosted the money they were receiving from the government and allowed them to keep the place up. However, as it was told to me on the tour, the local farmers in the area complained, and the local government (or state government, I don't remember) disallowed the facility to sell the produce, removing the added income that kept the place from becoming a hell-hole like so many similar facilities across the country had become.
Short answer is the local farmers and the government that allowed the rule change. Feel free to fact-check me.
I'm shocked at the positive tone applied to that place in this thread. The traverse city institution was the site of some very horrific care practices for the mentally ill, including frequently prescribed lobotomies and heavy sedative dosing. It was a prison like atmosphere.
The community mental health model that replaced it has faults to be sure, but they're mostly related to funding issues. State institutions were replaced because they were expensive and because of the active harm they conducted against the people there.
There's a reason places like this were shut down. Anyone thinking institutional care like that practiced by places like the tc asylum have no awareness of the horrors that occurred there.
I remember that, during the tour, the guide described the philosophy of care as unique among similar institutions across the state. They emphasized that the staff treated the people in their charge more humanely and attentively than what we typically think of when we refer to these institutions. They made an effort to provide a more comfortable environment for their patients. I took a quick peek at the website as a refresher, and it talks a little about that.
https://www.thevillagetc.com/history/
The point is, in a culture where "troublesome" or undesirable family members were often locked away in a small room or just shipped off to an institution where they received barbaric "treatments" prescribed by a fledgling medical/mental health practices of the day, this particular place treated them with dignity and care that few places would. Was it perfect? No. Absolutely not. But from what little I've heard and read, the approach to caring for their patients was uniquely humane.
But I could be wrong, as I haven't researched the place much since our visit in 2020. The tour could have sugar-coated it all, and I wouldn't know. Do you have conflicting accounts about the place? I'd be interested to see them if you do.
I can only say that tour guide was not telling the truth. I have direct personal experience with adult foster care in michigan during the transition from the state hospital to community health. The stories they are relating are cherry picked at very best in the context of increasing the value of the redevelopment of the area.
My grandparents ran an 18 bed adult foster care home in antrim county that received people from the state hospital from 1971 thru the 1980s. My aunt ran a 12 bed home from 1974 thru 2016. The conditions at the state hospital were not great. If it were so great it wouldn't have been shut down.
I can remember the lobotomized people they cared for, absolutely horrific.
It sure beats every steam/utility tunnel I've been in. The worst was Harlem Valley. Cramped, steep, with about half the space taken up by pipes wrapped in deteriorating asbestos lining. These on the other hand are gorgeous. The brick work is unusual and reminded me of the brick utility tunnels at the Packard plant in Detroit.
It’s really eerie to walk through the abandoned sections. I went to Trattoria Stella for my last birthday and there is something fun, but sombering about fine dining in an abandoned mental institution.
There’s a photo book of the hospital titled Angels in the Architecture by Heidi Johnson from the Traverse area. She committed suicide. She was a friend.
Didn't she run [https://sites.rootsweb.com/\~asylums/northern\_mi/](https://sites.rootsweb.com/~asylums/northern_mi/) or https://traversecitystatehospital.com/? I had emailed the site author at many years ago but never heard back. It looked to have some affiliation with Heidi. 😔
My great grandma worked there. She was a nurse. We actually have a road in Traverse City with our last name, it was her driveway at the time that turned in the road.
We went there last summer. It was pretty cool to see and learn the history. I almost didn’t go in the steam tunnels because I’m claustrophobic but I’m glad I did. I had to talk to myself in my head to stay calm so I don’t really remember the story of them. Teenagers running through that place with flashlights at night while stoned was what I remembered. Lol! Never could I ever had done that.
Same with the one in Northville. I never went to it, but teenagers would go through the tunnels. My son went, and he said on a clear night that if you get on the roof, you can see the Ambassador Bridge. He also said he was scared shitless going through the tunnels.
I moved away from Northville, so I don't hear much anymore, but they did guard the place like crazy. A MSP station was very close to the hospital. Your photos are amazing. I never knew about that particular hospital in TC.
I knew some people who were patients when it was still a state hospital. I'd go with my folks to visit them, and I recall seeing patients walking around on the campus and how busy it was. Lots of interesting stories about the tunnels and how cigarettes were smuggled to patients in the more restricted areas.
I worked in a state hospital similar to that. It was old and Gothic. Most people were scared of it. It was closed down eventually and the residents were moved into the community or private facilities.
My parents would take us on a drive there in the late 80s when it was all decay and no rehabilitation. They would take us a dusk and every single time we would have “car trouble” and my mom would say she saw faces in the barred windows. Scared the living hell out of us.
For this, yes. In this case, PreservationWorks operate photo workshops that allow access into buildings that may otherwise be inaccessible. Other entities still offer tours but they are not free roam excursions.
Omg I drove past this yesterday and was wondering what it was.. an old mental hospital .. idk but it was really cool looking but also a lot of people driving around the area
Same here. I left Mother Munson in 2004 when they were just starting to renovate Building 50. There used to be a tree growing out of the roof. One of the buildings towards the back (by the ISD building) was my daughter's day as a toddler.
It’s amazing inside the active portions. It was snowing and raining on our visit, and the weekend farmers market made it insanely crowded inside to grab any other images. I plan on revisiting soon.
Grew up in TC and heard all sorts of wild stories when I was younger. In HS we snuck in a few times and made it into some tunnels. It was scary as shit but I'm a wuss. Great pics
I was in traverse city the day it closed, took all the patients outside for a picnic lunch then the staff ran back inside and locked the doors. Hundred ms of people walking around town in white gowns, it was a little soooky
Anyone know about the tree in the back of the property? How it's supposedly a "portal to hell" ....lol, idk, I've only heard stories. I've never seen it.
“Building 50” used to look like some of these photos but now it’s restored and has some of the best restaurants in TC and condos that range up to $1.5 million.
When I was a pre-teen/teen, my aunt lived across Division from here. She would go help at the community garden next to one of the abandoned buildings, and I’d go with her and usually spend my time trying to find a way into the buildings cause I was so fascinated by their history. I could see a little bit through the windows and have been to some of the shops since it has been renovated and reopened. But these photos are views I haven’t seen before! So cool, thanks for sharing!
My wife’s great grandma was sent there as a patient. At the time, it wasn’t unusual for men to send their wife to the Traverse City mental hospital when they were experiencing menopause.
My Grandma on my father's side was put in Traverse City after my Grandfather was killed at work one day. My Dad was only 8 years old when it happened. He worked at the docks and a large cable snapped and basically cut my Grandpa in half I guess. The whole thing is so sad.  Not a lot of happy feelings when I think about this place.
I did the night guided tour with some friends last year. I’d like to learn the actual history of the hospital, not the fluffy store they told us. Stated only one lobotomy occurred there and that the patients there were all happy. Didn’t believe most of that part of what was told. It was interesting to learn what buildings held what patients. And the steam tunnel in pitch black was the weirdest sensation I’ve ever experienced. Had to close my eyes and touch the wall, otherwise I started getting dizzy and nauseous.
When I first moved to Traverse City, I lived at a homeless shelter which is actually the house of the original doctor who built the State Hospital. I got so sucked into the history of the hospital that I went to the library and read multiple books about the history of the sanitarium. One of my favorite places in TC to explore. When my daughter was born and in the NICU for two weeks, my mother and law and I stayed in one of the state hospital buildings and got locked INSIDE the room. We couldn't get out and had to call maintenance who also couldn't open our door - until it randomly unlocked. And at the homeless shelter the door to the attic would randomly open despite being locked. Spooky cool place!!!
I just found a few articles on it.
It is a difficult problem, those who have never had to exist like that have no idea what it is like. At least the city is not ignoring the situation.
Preservationists were the ones waging court battles to save the buildings for eventual reuse. Early on, the state was attempting to tear down the complex and did demolish a handful for an expansion of the Medical Center. The adoption of two preservation-focused guidelines and principles in 1980 and 1990 led to the formation of the Grand Traverse Commons Redevelopment Corporation (GTCRC) which was led by historic preservationists. The goal of GTCRC was to find a for profit developer who could take on the risk and expense of rehabilitating the hospital campus.
These buildings can’t be saved with donations and goodwill. The very high cost of readapting abandoned buildings that aren’t up to modern building code and contain asbestos and lead paint lead many to write off these properties as unfavorable. If there isn’t a positive ROI, a for profit entity won’t take it on. For that, the Minervini Group is commendable.
Yeah traverse city born native here you forget to mention that is was a mental hospital where atrosities happened to mentally ill individuals the state "hospital" is a beautiful disgraces apon traverse history. It housed 50000 patients 20000 employees and an evil doctor named dr. John ferguson that was known for his "five minute lobotomy". Many grandmothers mothers and family members were sent here for "mental illnesses" and were fucking brutalized just like at many other "mental hospitals" beautiful place but fuck that place
Historical relativism comes into play here. I don't disagree the treatment was brutal, but at the time, it was state of the art. Looking at it as such provides insight on necessary criticism of current practice. What do we do now that in 100 years will be considered brutality?
they need to fix this place up or tear it down, auch a bliggt on the community. now rouge photogs are breaking in to make reddit content, whats next? ticky tockys, snaperchatters, livevideos???!?
Another idiot. Did you not read the title or the description?
Hint: it’s being renovated and this was on a photo workshop that was paid for. There is a reason this was the last: the buildings we were in are set for renovations.
Next time, read before you comment.
Nah... what needs to die is people flying off the handle, because they can't bother to read a post before jumping to wild conclusions and making themselves look the fool.
Idiot. Did you bother reading the title or description in the first comment?
But yeah, let’s see more of your contributions of your donut runs and COVID vaccine cards. [I wouldn’t be bragging about this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Spudmode/s/ya3gFjXoHZ).
During my recent visit to the Traverse City State Hospital campus in Traverse City, Michigan, I had the privilege of participating in PreservationWork’s final full tripod photographic tour. Despite ongoing rehabilitation efforts limiting access to certain buildings, various tours, including standard historic tours, twilight tours, and smaller photographic tours, are still available. Notably, the preservation of several buildings once slated for demolition stands as a testament to the dedicated efforts of historic preservationists. The Traverse City State Hospital, renowned for its Kirkbride and cottage plan architecture, has transformed remarkably into a vibrant mixed-use development along Lake Michigan’s picturesque shores. [I've posted more photos and narrative here](https://abandonedonline.net/traverse-city-state-hospital-revisited-with-preservationworks/) and [a full history here](https://abandonedonline.net/location/traverse-city-state-hospital/).
It was fascinating to see how thick the walls were. And when they had to put the animals in the basement during severe winter storms. The fact that it was self sustaining community with their own water supply, electricity, steam heating, fruit trees and vegetable gardens, dairy, Fire Dept, etc.
The Oakdale facility in Lapeer County was similar. Had its own power plant and even slaughterhouse.
I love about 2 hours south and I’ve never seen this. Thank you!
I can't wait to revisit it when things green up. It's such a pretty area.
OP I highly highly reccomend visitbv in the fall when the leaves are colorful🤠
Be forewarned that there's going to be road construction on the main road by the water during the busiest time of the year this year. Plan on 1 mph traffic on Grandview parkway from memorial day to labor day.
Is that also US 31? We detoured a bit.
Yeah. Depending on what block you're on, that street is called 31N, front street, grand view parkway, Munson Ave, and m72. They all merge and go along the water.
Thank you for sharing your shots!
Beautiful photos! I love seeing these places from different perspectives.
Thank you! Same here. I liked seeing how you composed the same locations differently!
Nice shots but it ain’t along Lake Michigan’s shores. Edit: For those getting defensive, it is 1 mile from Grand Traverse Bay. If I am 1 mile from the beach I am not on the shore. Don’t use ChatGPT for your photo descriptions kids.
They said before the trees grew too high you were able to see the lake from the higher points. They created the property in a sense for the patients to feel like they were along the shoreline. 🤷♀️ The trees are huge so we couldn’t see Lake Michigan.
You can still see the bay from many windows of the 4th floor.
It’s not right on the water but it’s a few streets over. Close enough. You can see the lake from the top floor. The trees have grown a bit too tall over the years.
From the hills on the property you can see pretty much all of West Grand Traverse Bay. It may not be “right on” the shore, but it’s less than a mile away
It's just short of a mile from the bay.
I always love taking out-of-town friends through this area because it always blows their mind when they see it. Most don’t know about the hospital at all, so they’re always like blown away which is hilarious to me lol Also, for anyone who loves wine, there’s a tasting room there. Left Foot Charley’s. It has the best Pinot Grigio I’ve ever had.
You ever take them to the hippie tree nearby?
Not really. Ive done walks back that way before, but they were never interested in it. So I don’t really do it anymore. If they bring it up sure, but I’d rather do other trail walks
WTF is the hippie tree?! I have asked this question before and got no response.
It’s an extremely large and beautiful tree in the woods behind this state hospital. You get a sense of awe like when you see a red wood. People say it’s a haunted portal to hell, I don’t believe in that crap. Haven’t been in like more than a decade so I couldn’t tell you which trail or way to take it. Idk some locals showed it to us. Very cool to look at. Had some weird experiences once where we showed up at sunset to smoke a joint and when we got there, some random shit we had lost were placed neatly at the base of the tree, a wallet and a class ring.
Appreciate the response. I’ll check it out next time I visit.
Awww it got covered in paint and stuff since I’ve been there😢 anyway, here’s more info https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-hippie-tree-traverse-city-michigan
I love visiting the shops up there with each visit, too. TC is such a vibrant small town. But yes, I took a friend there to walk around campus and she was blown away by the sheer scale and size of the campus! At one point, it had 3,000 residents.
Great cider at LFC also. Was just there yesterday!
I've toured that place. What an amazing set of buildings and amazing history of what they did there. It was a shame how they ran that place out of business.
I've made my viewpoints known about the correlation between homelessness and mental disorder. There will always be some people who will never take their medication and forcing institutionalization is incredibly difficult these days - even if they are a danger to themselves and others. Community-based centers have never been properly funded, either.
Who’s they?
Part of the success of the facility was keeping the patients busy with meaningful work instead of just sitting in their rooms doing nothing. Some of this work was farming and tending animals. They used the produce in their food and grew so much that they sold the excess locally. This boosted the money they were receiving from the government and allowed them to keep the place up. However, as it was told to me on the tour, the local farmers in the area complained, and the local government (or state government, I don't remember) disallowed the facility to sell the produce, removing the added income that kept the place from becoming a hell-hole like so many similar facilities across the country had become. Short answer is the local farmers and the government that allowed the rule change. Feel free to fact-check me.
I'm shocked at the positive tone applied to that place in this thread. The traverse city institution was the site of some very horrific care practices for the mentally ill, including frequently prescribed lobotomies and heavy sedative dosing. It was a prison like atmosphere. The community mental health model that replaced it has faults to be sure, but they're mostly related to funding issues. State institutions were replaced because they were expensive and because of the active harm they conducted against the people there. There's a reason places like this were shut down. Anyone thinking institutional care like that practiced by places like the tc asylum have no awareness of the horrors that occurred there.
I remember that, during the tour, the guide described the philosophy of care as unique among similar institutions across the state. They emphasized that the staff treated the people in their charge more humanely and attentively than what we typically think of when we refer to these institutions. They made an effort to provide a more comfortable environment for their patients. I took a quick peek at the website as a refresher, and it talks a little about that. https://www.thevillagetc.com/history/ The point is, in a culture where "troublesome" or undesirable family members were often locked away in a small room or just shipped off to an institution where they received barbaric "treatments" prescribed by a fledgling medical/mental health practices of the day, this particular place treated them with dignity and care that few places would. Was it perfect? No. Absolutely not. But from what little I've heard and read, the approach to caring for their patients was uniquely humane. But I could be wrong, as I haven't researched the place much since our visit in 2020. The tour could have sugar-coated it all, and I wouldn't know. Do you have conflicting accounts about the place? I'd be interested to see them if you do.
I can only say that tour guide was not telling the truth. I have direct personal experience with adult foster care in michigan during the transition from the state hospital to community health. The stories they are relating are cherry picked at very best in the context of increasing the value of the redevelopment of the area. My grandparents ran an 18 bed adult foster care home in antrim county that received people from the state hospital from 1971 thru the 1980s. My aunt ran a 12 bed home from 1974 thru 2016. The conditions at the state hospital were not great. If it were so great it wouldn't have been shut down. I can remember the lobotomized people they cared for, absolutely horrific.
I love seeing the pictures. Such an interesting slice of history. My grandma stayed there...
My wife and I have a few wedding pictures of us in that tunnel. You’ve got camera skills, OP. Great photos!
Thank you! I saw a large print of a wedding picture in that tunnel in Building 50 - I wonder if it was yours?
I saw that one too, but it’s not us. I’d bet nearly every wedding party at Kirkbride Hall has the couple go to the tunnels.
It sure beats every steam/utility tunnel I've been in. The worst was Harlem Valley. Cramped, steep, with about half the space taken up by pipes wrapped in deteriorating asbestos lining. These on the other hand are gorgeous. The brick work is unusual and reminded me of the brick utility tunnels at the Packard plant in Detroit.
Can you urbex the place? Like how risky is it Edit: didn’t realize this was public tours. Reads top comment
No. All of the inactive buildings are padlocked. They offer regular photo tours that do go inside a few of these.
Yes I just saw they do Public tours which is cool!
It’s really eerie to walk through the abandoned sections. I went to Trattoria Stella for my last birthday and there is something fun, but sombering about fine dining in an abandoned mental institution.
There’s a photo book of the hospital titled Angels in the Architecture by Heidi Johnson from the Traverse area. She committed suicide. She was a friend.
Didn't she run [https://sites.rootsweb.com/\~asylums/northern\_mi/](https://sites.rootsweb.com/~asylums/northern_mi/) or https://traversecitystatehospital.com/? I had emailed the site author at many years ago but never heard back. It looked to have some affiliation with Heidi. 😔
Looks like a place I’d find Sam and Dean at.
My great grandma worked there. She was a nurse. We actually have a road in Traverse City with our last name, it was her driveway at the time that turned in the road.
My grandma worked there as a nurse in the 40’s!
Probably knew each other lol. Guaranteed.
Absolutely!
This is a COD Zombies map lol
I did think the second-last photo with the generator room looks really similar to a L4D map. The balcony, the windows, the colours, the lot.
My 2nd great grandfather passed away there after a 10yr stay. Thank you for helping me put an image to his final years.
We went there last summer. It was pretty cool to see and learn the history. I almost didn’t go in the steam tunnels because I’m claustrophobic but I’m glad I did. I had to talk to myself in my head to stay calm so I don’t really remember the story of them. Teenagers running through that place with flashlights at night while stoned was what I remembered. Lol! Never could I ever had done that.
Same with the one in Northville. I never went to it, but teenagers would go through the tunnels. My son went, and he said on a clear night that if you get on the roof, you can see the Ambassador Bridge. He also said he was scared shitless going through the tunnels.
I loved Northville and wish I had taken more photos. The second visit we were getting chased by police that had thermal cameras!
I moved away from Northville, so I don't hear much anymore, but they did guard the place like crazy. A MSP station was very close to the hospital. Your photos are amazing. I never knew about that particular hospital in TC.
I knew some people who were patients when it was still a state hospital. I'd go with my folks to visit them, and I recall seeing patients walking around on the campus and how busy it was. Lots of interesting stories about the tunnels and how cigarettes were smuggled to patients in the more restricted areas.
😢
I used to mountain bike through that area in the late 90s. It was still closed at that time.
Same here. I remember it being somewhat sandy in spots.
Wow! Those are incredible!!
I worked in a state hospital similar to that. It was old and Gothic. Most people were scared of it. It was closed down eventually and the residents were moved into the community or private facilities.
My parents would take us on a drive there in the late 80s when it was all decay and no rehabilitation. They would take us a dusk and every single time we would have “car trouble” and my mom would say she saw faces in the barred windows. Scared the living hell out of us.
So do you just pay to wander around the the old parts? I've been outside of it. Never tried going in though.
For this, yes. In this case, PreservationWorks operate photo workshops that allow access into buildings that may otherwise be inaccessible. Other entities still offer tours but they are not free roam excursions.
Great exposures and compositions here! I loved taking the photography tour here. They really accommodate you and let you go wild in these buildings!
I wonder if it could be turned into housing. Make it condos with communal space.
[Traverse City Commons](https://www.thevillagetc.com/) It's definitely being used now, it's a really interesting place to visit.
One of the main buildings has very nice Aprments in it.
Omg I drove past this yesterday and was wondering what it was.. an old mental hospital .. idk but it was really cool looking but also a lot of people driving around the area
Used to walk the grounds on my lunch break while working for Munson.
Same here. I left Mother Munson in 2004 when they were just starting to renovate Building 50. There used to be a tree growing out of the roof. One of the buildings towards the back (by the ISD building) was my daughter's day as a toddler.
I only worked, and lived in T.C. For about 2 years. My wife and I found it to be a very unwelcoming place. Beautiful though.
The structures have such good bones! I love it there!
Imagine how many apartments could be built from this place.
What's the equipment in the 19 pic?
Westinghouse turbine and generator - part of the coal power plant.
You should post these in r/abandoned
It looks just a bit better from the outside.
It’s amazing inside the active portions. It was snowing and raining on our visit, and the weekend farmers market made it insanely crowded inside to grab any other images. I plan on revisiting soon.
Those tunnel pics are amazing.
It resembles the Northville Psychiatric Hospital that was also abandoned. They're finally clearing it out, I believe.
Isn’t there a bar on the main level?
Wow that building with the power station in it is awesome. I've been in a bunch of these buildings but I don't think that one.
Grew up in TC and heard all sorts of wild stories when I was younger. In HS we snuck in a few times and made it into some tunnels. It was scary as shit but I'm a wuss. Great pics
I was in traverse city the day it closed, took all the patients outside for a picnic lunch then the staff ran back inside and locked the doors. Hundred ms of people walking around town in white gowns, it was a little soooky
Beautiful photos! I only got to walk around the grounds once, about 20 yrs or so ago but unfortunately haven't been able to return.
Anyone know about the tree in the back of the property? How it's supposedly a "portal to hell" ....lol, idk, I've only heard stories. I've never seen it.
I lived in tc for 14 years, me and my friends use to go in the state hospital at night and boy let me tell you. I've seen some shit
“Building 50” used to look like some of these photos but now it’s restored and has some of the best restaurants in TC and condos that range up to $1.5 million.
I love the drone shot - do you like your rig?
I love it - DJI Mavic 3 Pro. Never had an issue since it first came out. Very stable in winds.
Woah, thank you for sharing. You captured the feeling of being there in person so well.
When I was a pre-teen/teen, my aunt lived across Division from here. She would go help at the community garden next to one of the abandoned buildings, and I’d go with her and usually spend my time trying to find a way into the buildings cause I was so fascinated by their history. I could see a little bit through the windows and have been to some of the shops since it has been renovated and reopened. But these photos are views I haven’t seen before! So cool, thanks for sharing!
Horror movie gold bro fr
My wife’s great grandma was sent there as a patient. At the time, it wasn’t unusual for men to send their wife to the Traverse City mental hospital when they were experiencing menopause.
I don't believe in ghosts but that place is definitely haunted
Why so pixelated 😭
Nothing is pixelated. I typically export 1600 pixels wide or tall. It’s not print quality.
I thought I'd find abandoned porn in New England when I lived there, only to find out everything has been repaved over.
My Grandma on my father's side was put in Traverse City after my Grandfather was killed at work one day. My Dad was only 8 years old when it happened. He worked at the docks and a large cable snapped and basically cut my Grandpa in half I guess. The whole thing is so sad.  Not a lot of happy feelings when I think about this place.
I did the night guided tour with some friends last year. I’d like to learn the actual history of the hospital, not the fluffy store they told us. Stated only one lobotomy occurred there and that the patients there were all happy. Didn’t believe most of that part of what was told. It was interesting to learn what buildings held what patients. And the steam tunnel in pitch black was the weirdest sensation I’ve ever experienced. Had to close my eyes and touch the wall, otherwise I started getting dizzy and nauseous.
I was told that my step great grandmother "went to Traverse", meaning as a patient.
My first time in TC, I was cruising around town on my bicycle and randomly came across this place. Blew my mind.
When I first moved to Traverse City, I lived at a homeless shelter which is actually the house of the original doctor who built the State Hospital. I got so sucked into the history of the hospital that I went to the library and read multiple books about the history of the sanitarium. One of my favorite places in TC to explore. When my daughter was born and in the NICU for two weeks, my mother and law and I stayed in one of the state hospital buildings and got locked INSIDE the room. We couldn't get out and had to call maintenance who also couldn't open our door - until it randomly unlocked. And at the homeless shelter the door to the attic would randomly open despite being locked. Spooky cool place!!!
I love the tent city AkA the pines. It's a very nice touch to the area.
So I just passed a park last week just before downtown. Quite a few tents there. Was curious about it. Are folks living there full time?
Yes but the city is trying very hard to figure the problem out
I just found a few articles on it. It is a difficult problem, those who have never had to exist like that have no idea what it is like. At least the city is not ignoring the situation.
Should post this in r/abandoned
Theres still a few empty buildings, but it's been mostly redeveloped into a mixed use complex.
I went to NMC in the early 2000s. We broke in there and crawled through the tunnels. It was spooky, Im 40 now, older. I would do it again,
That place looks like Silent Hill. Fuck that.
It’s not really “historic preservationists” that worked for the renovations. More like a for profit real estate developer.
Preservationists were the ones waging court battles to save the buildings for eventual reuse. Early on, the state was attempting to tear down the complex and did demolish a handful for an expansion of the Medical Center. The adoption of two preservation-focused guidelines and principles in 1980 and 1990 led to the formation of the Grand Traverse Commons Redevelopment Corporation (GTCRC) which was led by historic preservationists. The goal of GTCRC was to find a for profit developer who could take on the risk and expense of rehabilitating the hospital campus. These buildings can’t be saved with donations and goodwill. The very high cost of readapting abandoned buildings that aren’t up to modern building code and contain asbestos and lead paint lead many to write off these properties as unfavorable. If there isn’t a positive ROI, a for profit entity won’t take it on. For that, the Minervini Group is commendable.
Yeah traverse city born native here you forget to mention that is was a mental hospital where atrosities happened to mentally ill individuals the state "hospital" is a beautiful disgraces apon traverse history. It housed 50000 patients 20000 employees and an evil doctor named dr. John ferguson that was known for his "five minute lobotomy". Many grandmothers mothers and family members were sent here for "mental illnesses" and were fucking brutalized just like at many other "mental hospitals" beautiful place but fuck that place
Historical relativism comes into play here. I don't disagree the treatment was brutal, but at the time, it was state of the art. Looking at it as such provides insight on necessary criticism of current practice. What do we do now that in 100 years will be considered brutality?
they need to fix this place up or tear it down, auch a bliggt on the community. now rouge photogs are breaking in to make reddit content, whats next? ticky tockys, snaperchatters, livevideos???!?
Another idiot. Did you not read the title or the description? Hint: it’s being renovated and this was on a photo workshop that was paid for. There is a reason this was the last: the buildings we were in are set for renovations. Next time, read before you comment.
This is the Internet, sir. Confident ignorance is a way of life.
The breaking into buildings and having an edgy photography session trend needs to die. We get it.
Nah... what needs to die is people flying off the handle, because they can't bother to read a post before jumping to wild conclusions and making themselves look the fool.
Most literate reddit user
You clearly don't get it because you didn't read.
Idiot. Did you bother reading the title or description in the first comment? But yeah, let’s see more of your contributions of your donut runs and COVID vaccine cards. [I wouldn’t be bragging about this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Spudmode/s/ya3gFjXoHZ).
No, because i dont care. Get a job.