Learn more about Kings Park and other abandoned sites across Long Island in a virtual talk with the author on March 1st!Įditor’s Note: This article was written by photographer John Lazzaro. You’ll find the Georgian-style homes for physicians and staff, the old curved roads with street lamps, and various other treatment buildings. Building 93 in particular, began to close from the top floors down, leaving a graveyard of patient beds in the basement.įor a nice walk in the publicly accessible portion of the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center, start at the traffic circle at the end of Kings Park Boulevard and walk towards the river.

The hospital began the slow and steady process of closing its buildings and leaving them abandoned. As a result, large numbers of geriatric patients were transferred from state hospitals to nursing homes. Both contained provisions for mental health treatment, but the care provided by state hospitals was not covered and mentally ill people under the age of 65 were ineligible for Medicaid benefits. Another change came in 1965 when Medicare and Medicaid were established in New York State. Farm buildings on the grounds had phased out, as it became far cheaper to import food. New York State completed the Mental Health Study Act, which called for the abolition of state hospitals and the redirecting of federal funds to build community centers for the mentally ill. When Thorazine was invented in 1955, 5% of the patient population at Kings Park started receiving psychotropic drug therapy. Hallway of Building 90 (business offices/nursing school), 2018

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