Past and Present of Roosevelt Island

Nestled between Manhattan and Brooklyn on the East River, 2-miles by 800 feet of land make up Roosevelt Island. Stories may have passed by your ears of the asylum that once inhabited the island or anecdotal warnings of dating someone who lives there. Just the many name changes over the centuries is something to behold: Minnehanonck, Hog Island, Welfare Island, Manning’s Island, Blackwell Island and eventually dedicated and renamed to Roosevelt Island. Beyond the name changes, the highlights: a past seeding advocacy for mental health patients, unique island access and transportation and what keeps the island alive today. 

The City of New York purchased the island in 1828 erecting a penitentiary, hospital and New York City Lunatic Asylum setting a theme of medical facilities to be erected over the decades. A Smallpox Hospital was added during the outbreak to quarantine the sick and in the early 1900’s additional chronic care hospitals moved into the buildings previously occupied by the Lunatic Asylum. Speaking of the asylum, publicity shined a light on the conditions and treatment of patients in 1887 by a New York World reporter Nellie Bly Bly convinced doctors she was mentally unfit and admitted as a patient. Over ten days, she witnessed first hand the poor treatment of patients: contaminated drinking water, lack of or poor bathing leading to the spreading of disease and malnutrition. After her release, Bly published a series of articles which led to a grand jury investigation of the asylum and prompted increased funds and better evaluation and care of individuals. Most of the medical facilities of the early decades either shut down or eventually moved to Manhattan and one still stands, Coler-Goldwater Speciality Hospital (est. 1996). And in recent years, extensions of Cornell can be found here.

Transportation in the early centuries was a bit limited to water. Constructed in 1909, the Queensboro Bridge, which goes over the island, built a stop midway with an elevator that would take you down to the island (how awesome is that?). Sadly, it was deconstructed in the 19070’s. Nowadays, the only vehicle / pedestrian access is the Roosevelt Island Bridge. By bus, train, ferry, it’s all the same for the island as it is in the other boroughs. The F line stops here along with bus and ferry routes. And if dealing with city traffic or cars is an issue, maybe living here is the answer. Original city planning didn’t include car traffic and the north and south tips still remain car free.

Though it’s an island between boroughs, infrastructure for residential living is well established: school systems, new retail outlets popping up, a local library, multiple ways on and off the island, car free zones to roam around on foot, and the beautiful Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. Over a quarter of a century in the making, plans for the park were created in 1974 and groundbreaking didn’t happen until 2010 with completion in 2012! A little presidential history. The four freedoms refer to Roosevelt’s 1941 State of Union speech where he proposed 4 ‘fundamental freedoms’ everyone in the world should enjoy: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear. 

Now, what to do as a visitor? Scope out all of the history unfolded above. Take the tram for transportation with a view and head to The Octagon - what remains of the New York Mental Health Hospital (aka Lunatic Asylum in 1834). Visit the Blackwell House, the sixth oldest house in NYC and home to the island’s previous owners and one of the namesakes in the early 18th century. And head to the southern tip for a stroll through the Four Freedoms Park and see Manhattan from afar.