Eastside High School

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Woodrow Wilson School opened on the east side of Camden in 1930. The 29,300 square foot structure was actually built as a middle school, but it switched to a high school curriculum in 1933. 

The building itself was an interesting blend of gothic and art deco. The exterior of the school building was a stylish buff brick lightly decorated with limestone accents. The front doors were recessed behind three large lancet arches. Above the central lancet was a limestone carving of the state seal. Inside the hallways have tall ceilings and walls adorned with distinctively dark grey marble slabs. These corridors wind their way around an interior open air courtyard which allows natural light to fill the halls. The main interior architectural highlight for me was the large auditorium on the left side of the building. 

It wasn't until the 1960s that the large modern addition was built on the back of the school. The highlight of the new building was a massive gymnasium building. 

More classroom space was added a decade later along 31st st, which was the last major improvement the building ever saw. 

Woodrow Wilsons name was rightfully dropped from the school in 2020, during a long overdue moment of reckoning for racist historical figures across the country. Afterwards the school was known as Eastside High.  

In 2022 it was announced that the school would be entirely rebuilt, just as Camden High was five years prior. I was never able to get inside the old CHS before it was leveled, despite a few attempts. This one wasn't going to get the best of me. The building finally closed for good in 2024.

After nearly 20 years of exploring I've developed a strong sense of intuition with regards to timing and the best way to get inside different abandoned buildings. Eastside High was a tough one though. The first few times I drove around the building it didn't look like anyone had been messing with it. I kept my eye on the School Development Authorities website waiting for a demo date. Shortly after it was announced I made my way down south. I knew there was a dead end street that looked like it would be a decent place to get through the fence. Unfortunately for me there were two police officers sitting in their cars out front. 

East Camden isn't as tough as other parts of the city, and in the last decade the police have made enormous strides in repairing trust with the citizens. Calls to 911 are being answered and responded to swiftly. The sun was rising and I didn't have anything else lined up, so rather than burn a free day I decided to go for it. I knew I had to be fast and invisible on the approach.  Fortunately for me there was an enormous hole in the fence already. I climbed down using a couple large backhoe tires that were propped up against the wall. Since getting onto the property was so easy, I figured getting inside the building would be a breeze. However every single door and window was barricaded. Carefully I crept my way around the back of the building, through another locked fence that had a hole in it, trying every single door and window as the sun continued to rise. After noticing a new looking solar powered camera, I decided to take the L and try and come back at night. 

I got back to my car and noticed one of the police officers from out front was now driving around, looking at the property. I wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence or if I had been seen on the camera, but it certainly didn't help my nerves. When I came back that same night, those backhoe tires I had used to climb down were on the other side of the locked gate. I told myself it was probably just another coincidence. Through the second fence I went, back to a door that seemed like my best bet. Sure enough, the door opened up and I slid in. 

I was inside a locker room area for the sports fields out back. Unfortunately it quickly became clear there was no way upstairs. Once again I had to sneak back to my car and drive all the way home thinking about what else I could do to get inside. The entire front of the building was essentially off limits, as the police were always parked there. I was road tripping out to Cleveland the following weekend, so there was no way I was going to be able to try again for two weeks. It felt like they'd be so far along by then it wouldn't be worth the risk anymore. I spent more time that week thinking about Eastside than my coming trip.  

Cleveland ended up being amazing. I ran myself ragged exploring sunup to well past sundown, seeing pretty much everything I wanted to. I couldnt stop thinking about Eastside though. From where I was in Ohio, home and Camden were essentially the exact same distance. Before I even knew what was happening I was headed down 76 towards Camden, only stopping for coffee refills. 

By the time I made it, I had a new plan of approach all worked out. It pretty much depended entirely on tbe cops being busy, or at least parked further down the property than they had been. They were nowhere to be found as I made my way around the block looking for a place to park. After vaulting the fence, I rushed into the courtyard between the original building and the midcentury addition. After some creative move making, I was able to slip through a door and into the school. 

I was fairly certain I hadn't been seen, and I was also pretty sure the old cctv cameras and motion sensors were offline at this point. I just had to be mindful that those wifi cameras I had seen outside may also be somewhere inside as well. Carefully I made my way towards my main point of interest; the original 1930's auditorium. I hadn't seen any contemporary photos of it, so I was glad to see it was still in good shape. Next stop was the gym, which was actually being used by the construction crew as a home base. After a satisfying amount of time inside I packed up and headed to the exit, hoping nobody would be there waiting for me. 

Heavy machinery began ripping the building apart in June of 2025. A handful of relics were saved and will be reinstalled in the new Eastside building. As much as I hate to see a historic building get demolished, I am really glad the students are getting the brand new facility they deserve. So often these buildings aren't just old and poorly maintained, they've barely even been brought up to modern standards. This upgrade is long overdue. 

Sunrise Mountain House Hotel/Hilltop Care Center

Hilltop Care Center will always hold a special place in my heart. Despite being a total dump, ir was one of the first places I ever traveled by car to visit. I grew up with both the Overbrook Hospital and Essex County Jail Annex practically in my backyard, so it took me a while to branch out. I ended up visiting the place many times over the years, but it was only recently I was able to piece together the buildings long history.

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What came to be known as the Hilltop Care Center was originally built as a hotel. The Konners, said to be the first Jewish Family in Montville, bought the old Vreeland Farm and opened the the Sunrise Mountain House Hotel in the early 1900s. Business was good through the decades, so by the 1930s the Konners built a large 100 room structure complete with a ballroom and indoor pool. The new building was prominently perched on the ridge of their property. It could even be seen while traveling down Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell. 

After the Konners sold the building the name was changed to the Pine Brook Hotel. In 1944 the structure was sold to the well known spiritual leader Father Divine. Divine was a controversial figure at the time, having been jailed in the 1930s for encouraging racial harmony with his religious views. He eventually ended up purchasing a number of iconic hotels, including the "Divine Loraine" in Philadelphia and the "Divine Riviera" in Newark. 

Father Divine passed away in 1965. Shortly afterwards the bulding was converted to nursing home. This is where the more familiar "Hilltop Care Center" name was coined. 

The care center operated without much notoriety for a few decades, but was eventually closed in 1996. The existing patients were absorbed by St. Clare's health network. The facility were described at the time as "deteriorating", so it didn't stand much of a chance of re-use. Two years after the center closed it was pitched as a location for a new, similar sized nursing home. However the would-be operators decided they wouldn't make enough money to justify the project. 

Thrill seekers eventually started venturing to the shuttered nursing home, and eventually scrappers and vandals found the place too. This came to a head on August 24th 2006 when a massive fire engulfed the building. An anonymous tip led to the arrest of three people who told investigators they intentionally set a couch on fire. All three ended up going to jail for their actions. 

I visited the place for the first time around 2009. Even though it had been torched prior I still thought it was a pretty awesome place to explore. It was probably within the first dozen sites I ever visited. At the time this article is being written, I've visited roughly 1300 unique locations in 30 states. I have such fond and nostalgic memories of my multiple visits to the center, even all these years later.

The Hilltop Care Center was demolished at the tail end of 2012, and as of 2024 the property off Hook Mountain Road is still undeveloped. I still remember the first time I drove down Bloomfield Avenue and saw the empty patch of ground on the mountain where the building once stood. 

It's kind of wild how much the historic landscape of the state, and the hobby of "Urban Exploring" have come in that time. Hopefully these photos serve the same nostalgic purpose to others who didn't get a chance to take photos of their visits.