Virtual tour of off-limits Ellis Island now available

NEW YORK (AP) — Areas of Ellis Island not included on regular tours can now be visited in a virtual tour. The tour includes the hospital complex where immigrants with illnesses were treated before being allowed to enter the U.S. The 22-building site housed wards to treat contagious diseases, assess mental conditions and provide care for pregnant women.

The National Park Service launched the virtual tour of the south side of Ellis Island on Thursday.

The 40 interactive photographs are created from detailed 3-D scans.

They're supplemented with historic images of the same buildings as they once looked.

The abandoned hospital and contagious-disease wards have been stabilized but not restored.

The nonprofit Save Ellis Island offers hard-hat tours of the area that require reservations.

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Online: http://www.nps.gov/elis/learn/photosmultimedia/virtual-tour.htm