The vacant buildings of Villa Maria on the 12-acre lot in North Plainfield NJ have served the state and community as many different faces. The complex was initially constructed and built as a tuberculosis sanatorium in 1889. The complex was called the Cooley Sanatorium as it was opened by Dr. Justus Cooley. The sanatorium was short lived as it was closed down by the start of World War I in July of 1914. The complex was then used to house "troubled and endangered women" after it was purchased by the Franciscan Order in 1938. In later years, it was most well known as the Villa Maria Home for the Aged, a long-term nursing facility for the elderly. The nursing facility closed for good in 2002 and the buildings were left to rot. Vandals quickly flooded the complex and it became filled with senseless graffiti. In October 2017, a massive fire broke out in the vacant complex. 4 local schools were closed as a result of significant smoke in the area. Severe structural damage was done and the fate of the property is now unknown.