essex county hospital center

postcard view, circa 1911

In 1978 alone, there were 150 reports of patients gone missing from this complex, including one patient who strolled off in his pajamas, broke into a nearby home, took a knife and hammer and attempted to kidnap a woman in the house while stealing her car. He was later caught in a neighboring state.

Hospital scenes in the finals season of "the Sopranos" were filmed in portions of this asylum, as well as scenes from the upcoming movie, “Choke,” based on a novel by Chuck Palahniuk. In the movie, the hospital will be referred to as St. Anthony’s.

Land sale to a developer has been completed, and demolition of the buildings on the grounds is expected to start in April of 2008.