The morgue building on North Brother Island was originally built as a chapel, and its original construction purpose is shown in the Gothic yellow stained glass windows, most of which have since fallen out or been smashed apart. Located right beside the ferry gantry, the building was repurposed as an easier way to transfer the bodies to the mainland for being laid to rest with minimal interaction by other patients, thus preventing stress among the patients remaining on the island. A new, wooden chapel was built further south on the island, and barely even a superstructure remains.

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