Riverview Hospital

After spending an astonishing few days in Vancouver, Canada, sadly it was time to leave. We were nearing the end of EPIC road trip, we only had three days to left to quickly look around Seattle, Washington once going back into the United States. We began our day again in Granville Public Market! Do you actually think I was going to leave without having another breakfast sandwich from Kaisereck Deli?? Ummm, yeah no that was not going to happen!! I’m telling you the sandwich was even better the second time around. I seriously could eat eggs and smoked salmon on a bagel every. Single. Day. After we ate and stopped at the Granville Island Toy Company to buy a Lego set for our son, we headed to our next destination. I was very excited about this next stop because I really enjoy reading, learning, and watching all things paranormal. I also love observing abandoned buildings as well. Riverview Hospital has all that and more. I read a lot about this historical site. Although, some buildings are abandoned, some buildings today actively serve as mental health facilities. So, that being said I was very careful on what and where I took pictures. I wanted to be super respectful to patients that were attending the buildings around there. The first thing we saw was the map, I quickly jumped out to snap a picture of it. We were planning on driving through most of the area for a couple of reasons. Technically, people aren’t suppose to just roam around. Riverview hospital doesn’t offer tours or anything. Movie crews do film in the most famous building, which have to obtain a permit and permission to film on the grounds. So we were going to have to be ultra careful not to draw too much attention to ourselves. The second and third reason was Daniel and Diego. They had zero desire to be here lol! They do not like anything paranormal or anything abandoned, especially Diego. Daniel didn’t mind however he didn’t want to linger too much and get told to leave. So coming here was all me! I took the picture of the Riverview Site Map to help us navigate and drive around. This write up is purely OUR experience here. I wrote this to share what we saw and noticed. I did some investigation and read a lot about the hospital and thought since we were close by as we traveled we could stop by. That being said, this article is not for informational purposes.

As drove around, these houses caught my attention. Obviously, it is abandoned and in all things considered in pretty good shape. I found out that these were once housing for faculty that worked in the hospital and facilities. I just wish I knew more about what it was like living there and working on the grounds. I think it is lovely that the lawn care maintenance is kept up. It feels as though the history behind these abandoned houses are being protected and sustained.

One of the main well known, unoccupied buildings is called North Lawn Building. This building is almost sixty-five years old. A lot went on inside here! This impressive building is two stories and includes a raised basement, considering how old it is it looks very well preserved. Here about 230 patients were treated for Tuberculosis. North Lawn was specifically built because it was difficult to keep patients separated. I could only imagine how dedicated the nurses were during the times it was open. North Lawn was the only building I could get close enough to.

This is the most popular building at Riverview Hospital named West Lawn. It was high on a hill and the roads were pretty much blocked off because of the film’s 18 wheelers and vehicles. Although, this structure looks as if it is in good condition, it probably isn’t too safe. The West Lawn was built in 1913, so it is one of the first buildings used at the hospital. It mainly took care of about 1,800 male patients. This building was in the movie Supernatural, and Dead Pool 2. I did read that the employees that worked in that building did have paranormal experiences here. Sounds of footsteps, as patients slept, lights turning off and windy air inside were just some of the experiences I read about.

As we continued to drive throughout the area, the trees steal you away from the buildings. Wow! Every tree is unique in its own way. You can see clearly that it is highly designed landscape. I learned that the trees are valued at $50 million dollars and probably more today. The trees give a tranquil and peaceful feel of the 244 acres of land. I wish I could visit during the spring time.

We had to cut our visit short because we were spotted by security and decided to drive out before being questioned. I was very happy with our visit of course I would’ve loved to have driven to where the cemetery was and possibly taken pictures but it is what it is. Daniel did not want to breathe the air around me, once I told him that the building I stood in front of was where they kept patients with Tuberculosis, so he rolled the windows down and covered his nose. Diego was too frightened to come out of the van. All he did was hold on to his Lego set so he could feel safe. I knew I was in good hands because I wore my Rosary necklace for protection from any negative spirits that may have been stuck in and around the area. I had a great experience here at Riverview Hospital.