Holy Land is an 18 acre theme park in Waterbury, CT. Built in the 1950s by John Baptist Greco, it was meant to be a major religious tourist attraction, and it was. During the 60's and 70's Holy Land received 50,000 visitors per year. Not having a lot of money, Greco used anything he could find to build his park, which consisted of a miniature Jersalem, dioramas, catacombs, and a 50 foot neon steel cross. The majority of the miniautres and dioramas were built with chicken wire cement and scrap wood. Other areas were constructed from siding and metal scraps. The 50 foot cross still lights up everynight and can be seen throughout all of Waterbury and from route 84. The park closed in 1984, and has been slowly decomposing ever since. Greco died in 1986, and willed the property to an order of local nuns who do their best to keep the place up. Unfortunately, for the most part the place is a total loss. Vandals have destroyed the majority of religious statues there, and the miniature Jerusalem is but a ghost town of ruble and rust. With the exception of a boy scout troop redoing the Hollywood esque sign, the nuns have denied all outside assistance with the property. The surrounding neighborhood is less than safe, and the rumors of gang murders at the park surface every now and then.