The Gotham Orphanage was an abandoned building located outside of Gotham City. Previous owned by the Wayne family, it served as their private home until the completion of a penthouse at Wayne Tower, leading them to donate it to the city. The Orphanage was long-abandoned by Batman's operations in Gotham, having been severely damaged by a fire.
History[]
Once part of the Wayne Estate, it served as the home for the Wayne family. However, Thomas Wayne donated the house and its grounds to Gotham social services after the completion of Wayne Tower and moving his family to its penthouse. The orphanage was used to house many children and orphans, including Edward Nashton. One accounts suggests that its halls were used for schooling facilities in addition to housing.[1]
The same account also suggests that the Orphanage was already falling into disrepair and neglect during Nashton's childhood. Accounts from him suggested it suffered from depleted facilities, such as improper heat insulation and rodent infestations, and infant mortalities related to these. Nashton also related that some residents began taking narcotics, such as drops, to cope with the pain.[1][2]
The orphanage's main foyer was used as a venue for the announcement of Thomas Wayne's Mayoral campaign. During it, he announced the creation of the Gotham Renewal Program and its usage to provide better funding for the orphanage, in addition to other areas in the city. However, Wayne and his wife were later murdered in an apparently botched mugging, leading the program to fall into the hands of criminals such as the Falcone Crime Syndicate. As such, many of the funds were used to discretely bribe officials and launder their operations, which also included redirecting funds to their operations. This only worsened conditions and led to the Orphanage falling further into disrepair.[1][2]
At some point prior to Batman's operations, the Gotham Orphanage was caught in a fire and burned down, leaving the building derelict and unusable.[2] According to one account, this was set by Nashton in an act of anger, fueled by memories of his experience. Nashton had also managed to evacuate the orphanage prior to setting the fire, having activated the fire alarm so that non of the staff or residents were harmed.[3] For reasons currently unknown, the Orphanage was left standing, with the homeless using it as a place to stay.[2]
During his attacks on Gotham, Nashton (now operating as "the Riddler") broke into the Gotham Orphanage to leave Batman clues to his next target: Bruce Wayne. In one of the main halls, he set up a projector and a message stating "The Sins of The Father", spray-painting arrows along the corridors to guide the vigilante into the room. Batman arrived with Lt. Jim Gordon after being led their in a message with Riddler, during which they encounter several "dropheads" using the halls for the night. After discovering Riddler's messages, Batman left to warn Alfred of an upcoming attack at Wayne Tower.[2]
Behind the Scenes[]
The Gotham Orphanage resembles Willowood, a derelict orphanage seen in The Court of Owls saga. The exterior shots used Hartwood Psychiatric Hospital, an abandoned psychiatric hospital located outside of Glasgow, Scotland.[4]
Notes[]
- This is the second version of Wayne Manor to be turned into an orphanage, with the other being the version seen in The Dark Knight Rises.