A Michigan hospital that dates back to 1839 is up for sale for $1.5 million. While known for its reputation as a haunted facility with a spooky history, broker Mike Deighan is confident he can sell the Eloise Complex, a former psychiatric hospital located in suburban Detrot.
"It's rather easy," Deighan told The Guardian. "Nobody gives a sh*t," he said. "Nobody believes in it," he added, referring to the rumors that the property is haunted.
The hospital halted its operations nearly 30 years ago, but according to its history, it was once part of a farm that covered 902 acres across 70 buildings. The farm, established in 1839 by the Wayne County, had a poorhouse where over 12,000 people cohabited. Back then, there was an amusement hall, a slaughterhouse, an on-site bakery, a greenhouse, a cannery and a tobacco field. There was also a post office. At one point, the complex was given its own zip code and had its own police and fire department.
"It was its own city," Deighan remarked.
As time passed, parcels of the Eloise farmland were sold by the Wayne County authorities in efforts to monetize the land's unused assets. Ford Motor Company bought a portion of the site while a number of the parcels were converted into an 18-hole golf course. Condominiums and a strip mall now stand in what was once a part of the Eloise property. Across the hospital is a cemetery that is still functional. It is named Eloise.
While Deighan is convinced most people don't believe in ghosts, he admitted to The Guardian that the hospital does give him the creeps, particularly the room that was once a patient ward.
A former employee, who requested anonymity, recalled an incident where two kids allegedly saw a ghost.
"He was in bermuda shorts, and he was just sitting there," the employee said. "They saw him, we didn't see him. But there has been some shadows, you know - that's it. I would love to talk to them."
The only occupied structure in the complex, the five-story Kay Beard Building, features 150,000 square feet of space. Currently, the Kay Beard Building is being used by the county's Head Start and senior services programs but they are scheduled to vacate the premises early next year, Detroit Free Press reports.
In spite of its spooky history, which inspired filmmakers to make a movie about the Eloise folklore in 2014 but is still pending release, Deighan pointed out that the property shows potential for development, ranging from a senior housing complex to offices.
"It's a great opportunity for somebody," he says. "And it's going to help Wayne County get back on its feet."
