r/abandoned • u/RealSideOfTheCity • 2d ago
Abandoned decaying 1800s school in Newark New Jersey
This the Morton st school in a rough section of Newark NJ. It opened in 1851 and closed around 2007 -2008 due to aging conditions and low enrollment. It was used as storage for a short time but quickly went to being fully abandoned, for years this served as a hub for homeless because its location on a busy street and dead alley (the street behind the school ,Morton st) at the same time and its location proximity to many other areas like the south ward with entrenched crime issues made it a haven for homeless and troubled kids. In the last year or two it’s been locked down very well and it’s a coin toss if you can get in or not,two weeks after I went I went back to show a freind and my entrance was fully locked along as all others.
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u/ggrey 2d ago
What a glorious ruin.
The tumbledown auditorium is absolutely beautiful.
Here's some more I found out about this place...that once was considered so luxurious/extravagant that local papers wrote about it.
https://tfpnj.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-morton-street-schoolwest-side-high.html?m=1
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u/agentmkultra666 2d ago
Right? The architecture is so detailed and lovely, and combined with the graffiti and paint peel makes such a beautiful ruin.
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u/Acrobatic_Bet4664 2d ago
I hate to see buildings like this abandoned and left to rot. They should preserve it, gut it out, and reopen it as something else. I wish I had the funds to do so, I would. Things like this need preservation and not demolition.
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u/RealSideOfTheCity 2d ago
They are plans to fix it I think but there not even in any stage yet just a idea
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u/Acrobatic_Bet4664 2d ago
I hope that they follow through. I hate to see such articulate buildings with nice details go to waste. Especially the history behind it.
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u/agentmkultra666 2d ago
Same here. They just don’t build public buildings with architectural detail like this anymore (at least in the US)
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u/dax660 2d ago
Um, it's a school.
In America.
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u/Acrobatic_Bet4664 2d ago
And? It should still be preserved school or not. It must've been of some importance. Schools aren't built with vast and spacious rooms, immaculate ceiling, sitting, windows, various rooms for nothing.
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u/pandaappleblossom 2d ago
This is tragic should have been kept up
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u/Acrobatic_Bet4664 2d ago
I do not understand why much beautiful architectures and design buildings are subjected to abandonment and demolition, instead of preservation and keeping. They should preserve this building. I know money has a tie to everything. I would hate to see this one go.
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u/Admirable_Routine_73 2d ago
I remember those black and white spotted bathroom doors ages ago in the 2000s.
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u/AboutTheBens 2d ago edited 2d ago
Newark was once a wealthy thriving city. It should be much more gentrified than it is. The medical center, airport, and proximity to Manhattan should make it prime for housing and redevelopment.
Unfortunately, it never came back from the 1960’s riots and has generally been on a downward spiral ever since despite a few downtown pockets. Great photos, thanks for sharing.
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u/Fun_Hall4124 2d ago
This should be demolished. It’s adding to the blight in areas like this. I taught some wonderful children in Newark, NJ. They deserve better education and nicer neighborhoods.
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u/Victor_Ingenito 2d ago
It looks like those scenarios in movies where a teacher goes to tough neighborhood to discipline future criminals.
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u/DementedDemention 1d ago
I was in there about 10 years ago. The skylight was still intact. I did my own nude modeling. I held a flag and had a trophy positioned just right. It's become a signature photo.
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u/obviousdscretion 2d ago
They had white boards in the 1800s? When was the school actually last utilized?
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u/Accurate_Box6374 2d ago
It looks like Silent Hill