Documentary Captures Saga Of Overbrook Asylum (WATCH)

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The demolition of one of Essex County’s most iconic urban exploration sites, the Overbrook Asylum in Cedar Grove, has come and gone. But although rising townhouses are erasing the footprint of the popular – and illegal-to-visit –local landmark, the legacy of the Overbrook lingers.

Earlier this month, Weird NJ correspondent and author Wheeler Antabanez released his 50-minute documentary, “Words of Overbrook - The Movie.” Antabanez, a Montclair resident, said that the movie “sums up everything I love about the old asylum,” and gives viewers one final glimpse as the red bricks fall.

Officially known as the Essex County Hospital Center, Overbrook served as a psychiatric care facility that housed patients with mental illnesses. It shut down in 2007.

Local authorities have long been frustrated by trespassers at the off-limits Overbrook, and have made scores of arrests at the location over the years. But Antabanez’s film offers locals a safe way to take a firsthand peek at the demolition of the old asylum.

Watch the movie below. Video may contain disturbing imagery, viewer discretion is advised.

• See related article: Essex County Plans $11M Park At Overbrook Asylum Hospital Site
• See related article: NJ Urban Explorer Authors Poetry Book About Overbrook Asylum

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