Terrence Tower at Abandoned Rochester Psychiatric Hospital

Exploring the Abandoned Terrence Tower at the Abandoned Rochester Psychiatric Hospital

This now abandoned psychiatric hospital known as Terrence Tower at the Rochester Psychiatric Hospital was built in the late 1950s, finally opening its doors in 1959. The facility housed over 1,000 beds, and patients of varying mental disabilities. People with anything from mild to extreme issues were admitted and locked away somewhere within its 16 stories.

Each floor held a different department, with the 5th floor housing the criminally insane ward, and a general hospital split between the 13th and 14th floors. A morgue and lab were in the basement.

The 16-story Terrence Building was once heralded as a “tower of hope” for the mentally ill. Today the vacant structure looms over the Rochester Psychiatric Center campus like a nightmare.

The Elmwood psych center campus was originally constructed as the Rochester State Hospital. This state-run mental hospital took over responsibilities from the Monroe County Insane Asylum in 1891. The Terrence Building was opened in 1959 and housed over 1,000 beds until 1995 when the last patients were moved to newer facilities elsewhere on the campus.

Terrence Tower has now sat abandoned and decaying since 1995, but as of 2019 there are plans for redevelopment – a plan that is estimated to cost upwards of $32 million. There are plans to remove asbestos from the building, demolish the structure and redevelop the 30-acre site with placement of a 110-room hotel, commercial buildings, apartment and more.

Abandoned Rochester Psychiatric Hospital Terrence Tower Photo Gallery

Abandoned Rochester Psychiatric Hospital Terrence Tower Morgue

The morgue is found in the basement of Terrence Tower and as one would expect was dark and damp and eerie! Of course, the fact that we are pretty much everyone in the world has been here before

1) It’s tough to get an original shot and
2) The room is trashed!

I did see some photos last year and someone has since liberated the morgue fridge doors and restored them for use in their home. I suppose that is better than letting them sit there serving no purpose!

So, here is the morgue for your viewing pleasure!

 

While most likely 100% a staged room, it was still a welcome sight to find this room while we explored this abandoned psychiatric hospital.

If you look at the curtains in the second photos you can see how windy it was that day as the flapping curtain made a ghostly figure over the bed.

 

 

In all 16 floors of this abandoned psychiatric hospital there are really only a small handful of rooms with items of interest,

1 – Obviously the morgue
2 – The operating room
3 – A patient room with a bed in it
4 – The X-Ray room

People often comment on how could they leave such things behind, I don’t have to tell you that even in 1995 this X-ray table was probably considered a dinosaur and entirely obsolete.

Pretty much every abandoned hospital that I’ve explored has had an X-Ray table left behind, much like houses and pianos!!