NEWS

Facade comes down on final portion of Greystone

Dozens show up to capture images of final demolition

William Westhoven
@WWesthoven

PARSIPPANY Dozens of spectators arrived at Greystone Park Psychiatric hospital Wednesday to witness and capture images of the final demolition of the center portion of the iconic Kirkbride building.

Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital's majestic Kirkbride building which dates from back to 1876 was taken down today as  as demolition crews continued to work reducing the once historic site to rubble.. October 14, 2015, Parsippany, NJ.

As professional photographers and a documentary film crew snapped photos and captured video — with drone cameras flying overhead — a crane operator tore at the domed center portion of the seven-story Kirkbride, the last part of a 675,000-square-foot building where demolition began in April following several months of remediation for asbestos, mold and lead-paint contamination.

Preservation groups spent two years trying to halt the $34.5 million demolition project overseen by the New Jersey Department of Treasury. Protests and court challenges failed to sway state authorities, however, and a deal was struck for the property to be turned over to Morris County for stewardship as open space. A memorial including marble columns and other remnants from the Kirkbride building is planned.

"Any way you look at it, it's a tragedy to see a building like this come down," said Alan Wojcik of Wayne, who stopped by on his lunch hour to film the demolition on his iPhone. "All that history. Just a bunch of dust now."

Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital's majestic Kirkbride building which dates from back to 1876 was taken down today as  as demolition crews continued to work reducing the once historic site to rubble.. October 14, 2015, Parsippany, NJ.
Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital's majestic Kirkbride building which dates from back to 1876 was taken down today as  as demolition crews continued to work reducing the once historic site to rubble.. October 14, 2015, Parsippany, NJ.