The Island
EN
Sign in
🛍️ Market
📋 Board
📅 Events
💬 Lounge
📰 News
🍽️ Eat & Drink
🤝 Directory
🏠 Housing
🏛️ History
Island history
Roosevelt Island’s story in photos, from its Lenape roots to the neighborhood today.
Timeline
Photos
Walking map
<1637 · Minnahanonck
The Lenape name for the island.
1637 · Dutch purchase
Wouter van Twiller acquires the island; the Dutch call it Hog Island.
1686 · Blackwell’s Island
Robert Blackwell takes ownership; the name lasts about 240 years.
1796 · Blackwell House built
The island’s oldest surviving structure still stands today.
1828 · NYC buys the island
$32,000; the city develops almshouses, asylums, hospitals, and a penitentiary.
1839 · Lunatic Asylum (Octagon)
The surviving Octagon tower is now an apartment lobby.
1856 · Smallpox Hospital
James Renwick Jr.’s hospital survives as the Renwick Ruin.
1872 · Lighthouse built
The Renwick-attributed lighthouse anchors the island’s north tip.
1889 · Chapel of the Good Shepherd
The restored chapel remains an active community hub.
1921 · Renamed Welfare Island
A new name reflects the island’s hospitals and welfare institutions.
1939–1952 · Modern hospital era
Goldwater opens for chronic care, followed by Bird S. Coler Hospital.
1969 · A neighborhood is planned
A pedestrian-first plan begins the island’s residential transformation.
1973 · Renamed Roosevelt Island
Residential redevelopment begins under a new master plan.
1975 · The first residents arrive
Island House welcomes the new community’s first resident.
1976 · Tram opens
North America’s first commuter aerial tram begins service.
1989 · Subway F stop
The 63rd Street Tunnel brings rail service to the island.
2012 · Four Freedoms Park
Louis Kahn’s final design is completed posthumously.
2017 · Cornell Tech opens
A 12-acre graduate technology campus begins its first phase.
Keep exploring
Historic RIOC walking map ↗
Noteworthy places ↗
Walk This Way NYC ↗
Free Tours by Foot ↗
Roosevelt Island Historical Society ↗