New York City's Forgotten Places Turned Into Art

Though we know New York City today as a place of bright lights and big buildings,provides a captivating look into the city's quieter side.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

By Lindsey DeSimone for Architectural Digest.

2015-02-25-item0.rendition.slideshowHorizontal.abandonednycbuildingsbook01.jpg
Vines entangle a former dormitory at Letchworth Village, a state institution that operated from 1911 to 1996 on the outskirts of New York City.

Though we know New York City today as a place of bright lights and big buildings, Abandoned NYC (Schiffer Publishing, $35) provides a captivating look into the city's quieter side. Photographer Will Ellis uncovered long-forgotten structures in the five boroughs, often resorting to trespassing to access locations.

2015-02-25-item4.rendition.slideshowHorizontal.abandonednycbuildingsbook05.jpg
Sun streams into the Freedom Tunnel, a formerly out-of-service tunnel now operated by Amtrak under Manhattan's Riverside Park.

Ellis began documenting the fascinating, crumbling places he found in a blog, and his new book showcases 150 striking photographs, compiled over three years, from 16 of his favorite locales. The collection offers a rare glimpse into the city's past--and a last look at some of the buildings, which have since been demolished to make way for housing to accommodate the continuously expanding population.

2015-02-25-item3.rendition.slideshowHorizontal.abandonednycbuildingsbook04.jpg
A view of the abandoned Renaissance Ballroom in Harlem.

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE