MomSkoop
New York City hides some seriously creepy spots that most people walk right past without noticing. Behind the busy streets and towering buildings, abandoned places wait with crumbling walls, eerie silence, and stories from the past. If you’re looking for the perfect backdrop for Halloween photos that’ll make your friends’ jaws drop, you’re in the right place.
1. Fort Tilden
Once a military stronghold protecting New York Harbor, this coastal fortress now stands silent with nature slowly reclaiming its concrete bunkers. The graffiti-covered walls and rusted military equipment create an apocalyptic atmosphere that photographers absolutely love.
Tunnels wind through the abandoned buildings, and broken windows frame views of the beach beyond. The contrast between military history and decay makes every corner photo-worthy.
Getting there is easy since it’s part of Gateway National Recreation Area. Just remember to stay safe and watch your step around unstable structures while capturing those haunting shots.
2. Bethesda Terrace
The underground arcade beneath Central Park’s famous fountain holds secrets that daytime tourists rarely notice. When shadows stretch across the Minton tile ceiling, the ornate passageways transform into something straight out of a Gothic novel.
Acoustic tiles create haunting echoes that add an extra layer of atmosphere to your photos. Street musicians sometimes play here, and their music bouncing off stone walls sounds otherworldly.
While not technically abandoned, the lower levels during quieter hours offer dim lighting and architectural drama. The carved sandstone details and arched ceilings provide Victorian-era elegance with just the right amount of spookiness for Halloween content.
3. Christodora House
This towering brick building on Avenue B carries decades of complicated history within its walls. Originally built as a settlement house in 1928, it’s seen everything from community programs to notorious squatter occupations during the 1980s.
The building’s imposing facade and aged brickwork create a brooding presence in the East Village. Dark windows and weathered details tell stories of gentrification and neighborhood transformation.
While the building is now residential, its exterior remains a powerful symbol of New York’s gritty past. The architecture alone provides dramatic backdrops, especially during golden hour when shadows emphasize every architectural detail and crack in the aging structure.
4. Renwick Ruin
Perched on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island, this Gothic Revival hospital has been crumbling since the 1950s. Smallpox patients once filled these halls, and now only stone walls and empty window frames remain standing.
The skeletal structure against the Manhattan skyline creates an incredible juxtaposition of old and new. Ivy climbs the remaining walls, and birds nest in what used to be patient rooms.
You can’t go inside for safety reasons, but the exterior provides endless photo opportunities. The ruins look especially haunting at dusk when the city lights begin twinkling behind the broken stone arches and weathered architectural details.
5. North Brother Island
Frozen in time since 1963, this forbidden island sits in the East River like a ghost from another era. Riverside Hospital’s decaying buildings are completely overtaken by vegetation, creating a post-apocalyptic landscape photographers dream about.
Typhoid Mary spent years quarantined here, and the island later housed drug rehabilitation facilities. Now it’s a bird sanctuary where humans aren’t officially allowed.
While access is extremely restricted and requires special permits, the island’s mysterious reputation makes it legendary among urban explorers. From boat tours passing by, you can glimpse the haunting silhouettes of collapsed roofs and trees growing through windows of the forgotten medical facilities.
6. Pelham Bay Park
New York City’s largest park hides more than hiking trails and beaches within its 2,772 acres. Tucked away in the forests are forgotten structures from the park’s past, including old foundations and crumbling stone walls.
Hunter Island’s rocky coastline contains remnants of estates that once stood proud before the city claimed the land. Nature has woven through these remains, creating naturally spooky settings.
The Kazimiroff Nature Trail leads past some of these hidden gems where twisted trees and moss-covered stones set perfect Halloween scenes. Early morning fog rolling through the woods adds extra mystery to photos of these forgotten corners of the Bronx.
7. Cathedral Of St John The Divine
Construction began in 1892, and this massive cathedral still isn’t finished, making it one of the world’s longest-running building projects. The incomplete sections create an unusual blend of sacred beauty and eerie abandonment.
Certain areas remain exposed with raw stonework and temporary supports visible. The contrast between ornate completed sections and rough unfinished parts feels almost surreal.
The cathedral’s sheer scale and Gothic details provide incredible photo opportunities even in completed areas. Gargoyles, massive columns, and dim lighting inside create natural drama. The unfinished north tower and various construction zones add that perfect touch of mysterious incompleteness for Halloween content.
8. Ellis Island Hospital Complex
While millions visited Ellis Island’s main building, few knew about the sprawling hospital complex hidden behind it. These 29 abandoned buildings once treated immigrants with contagious diseases, and now they sit frozen in decay.
Peeling paint reveals layers of history on the walls, and old medical equipment rusts in forgotten corners. Operating rooms, morgues, and isolation wards remain largely untouched.
Hard hat tours let visitors explore these buildings safely with guides sharing chilling stories. The combination of immigration history and medical abandonment creates deeply atmospheric settings. Broken windows, collapsed ceilings, and nature creeping inside make every room feel like a time capsule from another era.
9. The High Line
Before becoming Manhattan’s beloved elevated park, this railway line sat abandoned for decades with weeds growing through the tracks. Some sections still preserve that wild, forgotten feeling despite the transformation.
Industrial features like old rail tracks embedded in walkways and weathered steel beams overhead remind visitors of its gritty past. Certain stretches maintain a deliberately raw aesthetic.
The northern sections near the Rail Yards offer more industrial atmosphere with less polished landscaping. During off-hours, these areas provide moody urban backdrops combining nature and decay. The elevated perspective over the city streets adds unique angles, and the preserved railway elements create authentic New York industrial vibes for your Halloween photography.
10. Floyd Bennett Field
Once bustling, New York City’s first municipal airport now lies abandoned, its cracked runways reaching toward Jamaica Bay. Towering hangars stand empty, their paint flaking and windows shattered, giving the site an eerie, post-aviation feel.
Aviators like Howard Hughes and Amelia Earhart once landed here, but now only weeds grow through the concrete. The control tower and Art Deco terminal buildings slowly deteriorate.
Part of Gateway National Recreation Area, some sections allow exploration while others remain restricted. The vast open spaces and decaying infrastructure provide cinematic backdrops. Abandoned planes occasionally appear for photo shoots, and the desolate runways stretching into the distance create powerful images of forgotten American aviation history.
11. Hart Island
Over a million people rest in unmarked graves on this island, making it America’s largest public cemetery. The island also holds abandoned prison buildings, a psychiatric hospital, and a missile base from the Cold War.
For over a century, access was completely restricted, adding to its mysterious reputation. Recent changes allow limited visitation, but the island remains largely off-limits and deeply haunting.
Crumbling structures dot the landscape between burial trenches, creating one of New York’s most sobering locations. The combination of mass graves and institutional ruins makes Hart Island profoundly eerie. While photography opportunities exist during permitted visits, remember this is sacred ground deserving respect and sensitivity.