Seaside Sanatorium, Waterford
By Ray Bendici | Category: Abandoned, Hauntings
Image courtesy of Don Carter
The Damned Story: Originally built as a facility to treat children with tuberculosis, Seaside Sanatorium has had a long history serving as a medical facility. Overlooking Long Island Sound, it has also been a home for the elderly, a medical hospital and a facility to treat the mentally handicapped.
Opened in the early 1930s, the building itself was designed by the renowned architect Cass Gilbert, who also designed the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington as well as the famed Woolworth Building in New York City and the landmark Union Station in New Haven. Its first young inhabitants were sent there as a remedy for their affliction as it was thought the fresh air and sunshine would be beneficial. In 1958, the building took on a new purpose for three years, treating elderly folk, then became a home for the mentally challenged. Unfortunately, in the early 1970s it came to light that some patients were being violently abused by some of the staff; in the mid 1990s, patients were turning up dead a at a higher rate than normal.
With many unanswered allegations and after decades of service, Seaside Sanatorium was closed in 1996; it has passed through the hands of a few developers, getting hung up in various protracted legal battle. Currently, the property — a prime parcel of beachfront — remains abandoned.
Courtesy of Don Carter
Our Damned Experience: We haven’t been there, but our friend Don Carter, author of Connecticut Seaside Ghosts, and his team from the New England Paranormal Video Research Group went, thinking that with Seaside’s long, dark and sometimes tragic history — and spooky, abandoned vibe — it might be a good target for paranormal investigation.
The group investigated twice in 2007, during which they were able to capture a few EVPs [Electronic Voice Phenomena] and a few spirit orb photographs. The group’s resident sensitive also experienced some strong sensations.
Don chronicles the full investigation in Connecticut’s Seaside Ghosts. You can check out more of Don’s images here.
If You Go: Seaside Sanatorium is located just off of Shore Road in Waterford (down the street from Harkness Memorial State Park), on a scenic stretch of Connecticut coastline. It is currently closed and off limits to the public.
i have been there it is creapy
Actually I think it’s quite beautiful there. You can tell that it was first built with the thought of healing TB. The grounds could not be located in a more perfect setting. It looks past the western end of Fisher’s Island and the architecture seems almost European. The main building is pretty hacked up. It looks like they made “improvements” when they converted it in the fifties. Of course these “improvements” are the first to deteriorate. The other buildings still retain original mouldings and built in cabinets and decent paint jobs. The campus is open to public foot traffic and the local Waterford residents take full advantage, walking their dogs and even swimming. When I went I ran into two “urban explorers” who told me that the state was trying to sell the buildings. Hopefully someone can create a usable space there.
Could anybody tell me if you are still able to get inside? You would be a great help. Thanks!
Also, if any of you could design a map of the place that would be fantastic! You don’t have to, of course, but it wouyld help me so much!
Somone Help Maxwell? Damnedct has yet to go here, so we are of no help.
Nevermind, because I went there yesterday!
It is simply AMAZING there! You don’t really need a map, but it would help, and I intend on making one soon. If you go there beware of the second or third floor corridor linking from the east to west wing, because theres a decayed dog or two in the hallway. Thats right, I’m not sure if it was one or two. There were a lot of dead pigeons too, though.
The water is actually very clean there, and I would recomend bringing a bathing suit and a towel.
CAN I GO HEAR LOOKING FOR GHOSTS HEAR YES OF NO
Just tried to go back there after a year,…on August 19th to enjoy the sun and water but the gate was closed so we decided not to turn around. Anyone one know if the gate is going to be closed indefinitely now… should we try again/park and walk on?
Sorry, I posted that and realised how bad of a job I did editing it.
I went through the main building and the dorm building on 2 September 2009. i went about 3pm with a friend. the gate was closed, so we parked right in front of it. several people were on the grounds walking around, swimming or playing ball with their dogs. we went in the main building through a hole that was at one time probably an exhaust duct for the heating system or something. its around the west side below ground level and drops into the basement. someone has kindly placed cinderblocks to put your feet on so its very safe and easy. there is a stairwell on the opposite side of the basement to your right. we made a film that will be posted soon on flip and possibly youtube. not haunted, just beautifully decayed…and yes absolutely beware of the hallway on the second floor-you cant miss it, it looks gross and dangerous. during the day you cannot be seen through the windows by the people outside unless you stand right up near the windows. there was one security guard parked on the grounds. we discovered him parked outside when we exited the dorm building. we exited through the front door window and there was only a large hedge blocking us from his view. we walked right by him as we went back tot he car. Easy. the dorm building is very boring. not a lot of decay and nothing left to see. if you must go in the back fire escape is best. the door at the top opens into the third floor hallway. or you can go in and out the front door window, be careful of the glass and that no one sees you…
onelovinglived
Let me start by saying, as I’m writing this, I”m home fighting pneumonia, and sweating, so please bear with me on the typos.
Wow, great photos, I wish there more of the grounds. If I could find this place, I could map out the entire grounds. My Godfather had a daughter in Seaside for many years in the 70s. My “Uncle Vinnie & Aunti Marge were best friends with my parents and they invited us to Seaside nearly every weekend in the summer on their weekly visits. Vinny & Marge of course were friends with other other parents who had kids residing there and sometimes we’d make it a big picnic with extended family and I”d get to bring some friends or cousins my own age to. I don’t remember how to get there but now, 30 years later I’d love to go back, take my own kids to see it. We had picnics, we had all the playground stuff and a private beach!
We went to Seaside probably 10-12 times a summer from the time I was 7-8 till maybe 12-13. That would put m visits from 1972-1980.
I saw some pretty extreme things in my time there, as a younger kid I was confused, a little scared, but by the time I was a teen watching some guy waggle his privates off that area in the back that’s caged in with the fencing, I laughed like a typical teen.
I lost my toenail on those heavy heavy doors in the entrance way, and I stepped on bee and got stung in the foot. I went on the little kiddie ride thingy where you hold on and your friends spin you as fast as they can.
I got off it so dizzy I walked right into a tree.
I never heard stories of beatings or abuse but I know my aunt and uncle said their biggest beef was stuff getting ripped off, poor Susan, all her good clothes had to stay home.
Questions? Comments? more ground photos please email me.
Hey,
I went in the main building wth some friends of mine In the summer of 2008.
The most interesting thing I saw was on the top floor there were a bunch of old disguarded medical records in a closet. Im talking about hundreds of medical records that were in boxes and thrown all over the floor. They were ver interesting. The only weird part aout bein in the building is that you almost feel as though you are being watched……………by what I am not sure.
i was there the other day and they are knocking it down but my friend and i asked if we could go get some pics luckily they let us on its pretty cool there its creepy and nice all at the same time
The building itself looks absolutely beautiful! I live in Stratford, but one day I would love to go up to Seaside and just walk around the grounds. The location was chosen wisely for a hospital because patients, especially children, would have been very comfortable and had plenty of times to go outside and play on the beach.
Beautiful building and interesting history!
The top picture looks like the Pavilion from Carnival of Souls!
Cass Gilbert also designed the Brooklyn Army Terminal, where I work. There’s no photography allowed inside but I took pictures anyway and posted them to my Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/smartbunny/
robin.g
I have lived near Seaside all my life. Has any notices the most fabulous weathervane. It makes an awesome photo on a blue sky day with a cloud behind it.
It is a fabulous piece of property, really belonging to the people of the State of Connecticut. It should not be sold to a private developer to build condo’s or McMansion’s, but used as a peaceful reminder of what little public property is left in this state. So to Jodi Rell, I say, PLEASE DO NOT SELL THIS PROPERTY. BE SMART AND MAKE IT A PLACE WHERE WE CAN GO AND ENJOY THE OUT DOORS. THANK YOU.
i have recently been into seaside, ive been in the actuall institution and i got in by walking up the stairs and hopping a fence to gain entrance then you can walk a little after u hop the fence and there is a open door to stairs that lead up and down, in the building i found a dead decayed dog, and ive also found alot of dead birds, also while i was in there, i found a room filled with a viriaty of pills, they were all scatered all over the room, also when i reached the top floor i found files of many people. but one of the things i advise you to bring is somthing to cover your mouth, and heavy duty flashlights, without the flash lights i wouldnt have been able to see anything. so i hope this can help you get into the main institution. in the 2nd part of seaside there is a building where the nurses used to sleep, there is a broken window that you can climb through to gain entrance, while in there it is very dark! very few windows to look through. i only mad it down the dark hallway and a little to the left of the hall way before we reilized that the flash light was low and wouldnt last much longer. so i help all ofthis information will be able to help you experince “the seaside experence”
i have recently been into seaside, ive been in the actuall institution and i got in by walking up the stairs and hopping a fence to gain entrance then you can walk a little after u hop the fence and there is a open door to stairs that lead up and down, in the building i found a dead decayed dog, and ive also found alot of dead birds, also while i was in there, i found a room filled with a viriaty of pills, they were all scatered all over the room, also when i reached the top floor i found files of many people. but one of the things i advise you to bring is somthing to cover your mouth, and heavy duty flashlights, without the flash lights i wouldnt have been able to see anything. so i hope this can help you get into the main institution. in the 2nd part of seaside there is a building where the nurses used to sleep, there is a broken window that you can climb through to gain entrance, while in there it is very dark! very few windows to look through. i only mad it down the dark hallway and a little to the left of the hall way before we reilized that the flash light was low and wouldnt last much longer. so i help all ofthis information will be able to help you experince “the seaside experence.”
so i went there today and got into the building the same way that michael did above me. We entered at a kitchen, and walked around a bit and i’m bummed that i didn;t reach the top but we tried. we made it up a set of stairs, walked into one room where we heard something sort of moving in the next room so we’re left and went up to the next floor. Up there we did’t even make it to the top of the stairs before we got too scared to go any further, at the entry way to the top of the stairs there was a bunch of old toys laying on the ground, and we heard someone down the hall mumbling, then we turned around, went down the stairs, 2 flights. we heard the person running to catch up to us and it scared the shit out of us. we sort of panicked
but it was AWESOME.
i advise go before 10 am. securety showed up right as we’re walking out of the drive way.
I’m looking to explore this place with a friend of mine! Looks like a great place!
I grew up in Waterford and in high school, we would go to Seaside all the time to smoke and drink at night. It is absolutely beautiful and in such an amazing location. I am really sad to hear that it will be torn down soon.
Once I was able to get inside the building and explore. It was not creepy, but fascinating! There is one room where a mural painted by, I’d assume, children still remains.
Definitely a great place to go during the day to walk your dog, fly a kite, or just get some sun and have a picnic.
[...] if the governor can keep her ego in check long enough for the deal to go through this time so that Seaside Sanatorium can be [...]
Did anyone here the news seaside is SOLD some guy makeing homes people over the age of 55
Seaside was sold and will be turned into retiremnet housing. Went yesterday and got in no problem. The gate is always closed, but you just park outside the gate, the sign says pedestrians welcomed. There were many people parked there and were swimming in the ocean and walking their dogs. There are several windows on the ground floor open at this time. There is also an open door on the second level, but you must hop a high fence. There is also a hole cut into a window to the basement. Smells pretty bad inside, especially on hot days, other than that, rather beautiful rooms and interesting items still left inside. On the upper floor are many birds flying around, as they come through the open windows. Was kind of amusing watching them fly in circles. There are a few dead birds lying around and there is a carcass of either a dog or a cat, not quite sure which, lying on the floor near the sunroom. The nurses building next door had an open door in the back of the building. This enters into the basement of the building which is dark and dank. Just follow straight and go up the flights of stairs. The rooms in this building are very colorful. Peeling paint, bright colors, and miscellaneous furniture make for some great photos. All in all, a beautiful place. A must see before it is either taken down or rennovated!
I have had the great fortune of knowing about Seaside since about 2004. I visit often, and have been into each of the two larger buildings (main building, and the other large one to the left) several times a piece from 04-current. Id love to clear up a few things. Firstly the “dog or cat” on the third floor is actually a racoon, and Ive actually observed it decay over the past 6 years (gross!) Also, the closet on the second floor that contains “records” everywhere… I was the one who opened that closet and tore threw it hahaa. There’s paintings in there, old computes and fans and thousands of patient daily observation logs. I went threw all of the boxes and have at least 20 different notebooks at my house, as well as a strange assortment of keys that didn’t fit any of the current locks or doors. I’ve been into the basements multiple times and all I have to say is this… if you’ve seen the movie saw, and your afraid of the horribly pitch black and smell of years of mold and decay..don’t go lol!
It is a really beautiful location… And you are actually allowed to walk on the grounds, unlike Norwich. Security is randomly there, or not. However, if they are there, they will not even let you take photos of the buildings. I have watched them escort people with cameras off the property multiple times. Just bring a bag to hide it in or something.
I don’t understand why they are so uptight about people going in though… I mean there are windows with no glass at ground level and doors left wide open. They’ll board up the broken windows but it takes them a long time and I’ve never seen the door closed at the top of the stairs on the main building… and if it ever was closed, just walk around on the balcony to the huge window with no glass… hahaha. If they don’t want people to go in, don’t make it so easy! Inside is cute, there are murals and seahorses and such painted on the walls and but the mold smell is terrible. I’d recommend a bandana to cover your mouth or something.
I went into Seaside just last week. It was actually very easy to get inside. If you are facing the main building with the beach behind you, walk up the green stairs to the left. We were able to wiggle right through the roped off fence, but someone has kindly placed a chair near the easily hopable fence. After the gate, the door inside was wide open! I found the building interesting at times, but mostly the same-old decaying rooms. The artwork on I want to say the third floor was really interesting. A whole room filled with canvases that had been painted by residents. There were also files scattered all over the floor. Hello HIPA violation!
There are some really cool mosaics throughout the building, some medicine cabinets with meds still in them, and random newspapers or items from the time. We also found a giant tile bath, which we were not able to get pictures of.
As for paranormal activity, my friend saw a pair of eyes staring us down from the end of a hallway filled with cubicles. We both heard what sounded like a high-pitched voice, almost singing-like, non-threatening. Other than that, no other vibes of any kind. In fact, when we went was around midnight, and I walked through with little anxiety. However, both his camera and my cellphone died inside of the hospital. My cell phone had been acting funny from the time we stepped foot on the grounds, and had been at full battery before going inside. Coincidence, maybe.
I would recommend that if you do go to this facility and plan on going inside, go late. The guard was around during the day, but took off around midnight. I would also recommend you bring a face mask, because I had to clear my sinuses out for days! You are welcome to use the grounds and even the beach during the day. It is absolutely beautiful there, and an interesting tour.
I go to seaside quite often to go to the beach and yesterday my cousin and i finally went into the bulding closest to the beach. the door was still wide open (which was pretty much telling us to go right on it) and the chair was still next to the gate. it was pretty neat to finally see inside (i took sooo many pics and plan to take more). we went in the morning and had no problem. we went through the 2nd and 3rd floors and we almost through the door of the 4th floor when we heard what could of been a dog or a person (not sure which) and we didnt want to go any further. im looking forward to going through it again and actually going to the other floors. its a neat place, i hope it at least stays up until next year. (i think they tore down the dorm building closest to the entrance because it was already falling down last year)