It's something I have been trying to do for years and cross off my photography bucket list- to tour the historic Eloise Asylum. As I headed east on Michigan Avenue, just past Merriman Road the 5 floor brick structure graced me with its presence. Eloise Psychiatric Hospital has been an icon of Wayne County for over years. During its heyday, Eloise was its own miniature city, including a fire station, post office, cemetery and many other buildings that make up this huge acre plot of land.
Today, all of these buildings are vacant. Eloise has been closed to the public for years, but thanks to the amazing crew at Detroit Paranormal Expeditions, on October 8, , my wish came true as I was given a private tour of the hallways and rooms of this amazing piece of history.
Come with me as I take you on this very photo-heavy tour of the Eloise Psychiatric Hospital. Humidity is high, temperatures nearing 80 degrees, and the sun shines brightly on the bricks of the building before me. While waiting for my tour guides to arrive, I take a walk around the grounds- even the outside is amazing.
To the left of the hospital stands an old fire house, which had previously served as Eloise's laundry building. Today, the roof is caved in and the entrance boarded up with metal plates to keep people out. As I head behind the main building, I come to the old power-plant and bakery that was destroyed by arson in , now just a pile of steel and wood reflected in the partially flooded sidewalk directly in front of it. A chain link fence barricades off the area but it certainly does not obstruct any of the details for my photographs.
As I approach the building on the other side of the chain fence, the atmosphere turns eerie. Stopping and listening, I swear I can almost hear the sounds of the workers inside, and the huge machines moving back and forth along the tracks.
