There's something about abandoned places that sparks the imagination and strikes fear in some people's hearts. The older the creepier.

Try this one on for size. Imagine doing some urban exploring through the paint-peeling halls and echoey, crumbling staircases of a hospital built in 1869. It has sat empty for decades.

St. Michael's Hospital in Newark came about at a time after the Civil War when the city desperately needed medical facilities. The Franciscan order that commissioned the place truly believed Newark would help fund and sustain the hospital. They didn't.

But local Catholics helped keep it going by donating, and it expanded and thrived for many years. According to a New Jersey blog, St. Michael's claimed to be home to the state's first open heart surgery and for also instituting the first cardiac catheter program.

The hospital eventually closed, and the building has sat abandoned for over 20 years. Cue the creepy factor.

Now, a company called Ellavoz Impact Capital has secured $12 million in state tax credits to transform the place into housing. Yes, imagine living in a long-abandoned hospital.

The developer plans to convert the 104,000-square-foot building into 42 housing units with 146 bedrooms. It will be called Newark Commons. Construction is slated for early in 2026.

Twenty percent of the units will be dedicated to affordable housing and will provide help for low- and moderate-income residents. The housing project is located at 292-306 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. It will also come with 4,500 square feet of commercial and retail space.

Don't worry, the gurneys and any goblins should be long gone once it opens.