The Central Islip State Hospital (CISH) Powerplant was constructed in 1953 by the Titusville Iron Works Co. and The Interboro Co. It was constructed to meet the rising electrical demands of the expanding

psychiatric facility Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociati ...

located in

Central Islip, New York Central Islip is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Islip in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 34,450 at the 2010 census. History and overview Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the ...

on Long Island. The Powerplant utilized 3 large turbine generators driven by steam created in 6

water tube boiler A high pressure watertube boiler (also spelled water-tube and water tube) is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which boils water in the steam-gen ...

s heated by coal, then eventually oil. Both fuels were delivered by freight train. The steam that spun the generators was then funneled through a system of pipes housed in underground cement corridors to the various buildings on the psychiatric grounds for

district heating District heating (also known as heat networks or teleheating) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating a ...

. The powerplant was known as Building number 101 and technically referred to as The Powerhouse. It was the last of 3 powerplants constructed on the psychiatric facility grounds and by far, the largest. In the mid-1970s, a World War II

Sherman Tank } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It w ...

was discovered buried south of the Powerplant. As deinstitutionalizing progressed across the United States and commercial powerplants on Long Island emerged, The CISH Powerplant was eventually relegated to the role of an electrical distribution hub for externally supplied electricity to the few remaining psychiatric buildings still in use. In 1996, The Central Islip State Hospital was closed down and the property and buildings were sold to New York Tech. New York Tech sold off the property on which the CISH Powerplant resided, and in 2006, it was demolished to make room for condominiums.cish powerplant stack downing - stacks down 9 mb.mpg @ ZippyVideos.com - Free Video Webhosting
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References

External links

Derfs Central Islip State Hospital Powerplant SiteGoogle Earth Central Islip State Hospital Powerplant satellite view
{{coord, 40.77410, N, 73.18938, W, type:landmark_source:enwiki, display=title 1953 establishments in New York (state) Energy infrastructure completed in 1953 Buildings and structures demolished in 2006 Islip (town), New York Former coal-fired power stations in the United States Former oil-fired power stations in the United States Coal-fired power stations in New York (state) Oil-fired power stations in New York (state) Former power stations in New York (state) District heating in the United States