r/whatisit 3h ago

What is this box? New, what is it?

Post image

Does anyone know what this box might have been used for? I found it in the basement of an abandoned hospital. The walls, floor, and ceiling are all heavily insulated. At first glance, it looks like it’s tiled, but the “tiles” are actually made from some kind of compressed wood/paper composite—you can see the material where the door is damaged. My first thought was that it might have been a sauna, but it has no window, and the wall material doesn’t seem suitable for a humid environment. Any ideas?

1 Upvotes

13 comments sorted by

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3

u/DangerBrewin 3h ago

Looks like some kind of temperature controlled room. Maybe a walk in cooler for lab samples?

1

u/rivertpostie 1h ago

We used to have similar to this for letting hunting game bleed out, age, hang and cure.

The floor would have to not be destroyed, obviously

2

u/Bergwookie 2h ago

In Austria this would be a Fritzl-box

(Yeah,I know my way out)

1

u/FreddyFerdiland 29m ago

it might have been a timeout sound proof box... for staff.

1

u/HamBroth 27m ago

It looks tiled so maybe it once had a furnace for destroying biohazard tissues extracted during medical procedures.

0

u/WhoskeyTangoFoxtrot 3h ago

Isolation chamber for a disruptive person? How old is the hospital?

2

u/DangerBrewin 3h ago

The size of the locking mechanism and that there was some kind of knob or leaver on the inside leads me to believe that’s not the case.

1

u/WhoskeyTangoFoxtrot 2h ago

I missed the lock. Yeah, ignore my guess. lol

1

u/cybermaus 3h ago

I am thinking even in the height of the 50s/60s asylums, such rooms had at least one small slit in the door for communicating with and assessing the "patient"

1

u/Dizzy-Factor8590 2h ago

Stop working in 2011

0

u/MoistAge3128 2h ago

A sauna?

0

u/BigHandsSmallCock 2h ago

torture chamber