North Brother Island, a 22-acre enigmatic piece of land, lies in close proximity to the Rikers Island penitentiary complex near the industrial shores of the South Bronx.
Since 1614, this forsaken island has been located less than a mile from Manhattan, but it was vacated in 1963 due to its transformation into a drug rehabilitation center that ultimately failed and now poses substantial safety risks.
Setting foot on North Brother Island and its counterpart, South Brother Island, without authorization from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation is strictly prohibited, owing to the perilous conditions and their designation as certified bird sanctuaries.
While access to the island is forbidden to the general public, there is a way to catch a glimpse of its ruins. In 2017, the Science Channel obtained special permission from the city to visit the island and extended an invitation to Business Insider to accompany them.
Access to the island is exclusively by boat, and visitors must be escorted during their visit.
Upon arrival on the island, one is greeted by the pervasive decay and corrosion resulting from years of abandonment. However, the island's dark history extends beyond its unsuccessful rehabilitation center.
In 1904, the General Slocum steamship tragically caught fire and sank in the East River, claiming the lives of 1,021 passengers. The island also served as a quarantine site for individuals afflicted with highly contagious diseases, including 'Typhoid Mary' Mallon.
Marked by post-war residences and deteriorating structures, the island appears as if it could collapse at any moment. With sea levels rising and the looming threat of hurricanes, the decision to prohibit public access appears prudent.
This post-apocalyptic wasteland is overrun with debris, ruins, and the Tuberculosis Pavilion, an 83,000-square-foot structure initially intended for tuberculosis patients until World War II.
It later served as a haven for veterans before being abandoned. Despite attempts to repurpose the island as a rehabilitation facility for troubled adolescents between 1952 and 1963, it failed to effectively assist enough individuals.
In 1963, the island's last inhabitants departed, leaving the city to grapple with its future. In accordance with climate change forecasts, North Brother Island may be entirely submerged by the year 2100.
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