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Roosevelt Island, formerly known as Welfare Island (from 1921 to 1973), and before that Blackwell's Island, is a narrow island in the East River
East River

The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland....
 of New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
. It lies between the island of Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
 to its west and the borough of Queens
Queens

Queens is the largest in area, the second-largest in population, and the easternmost of the Borough which form the New York City. The Borough of Queens' boundaries are identical to those of the County of Queens , a Administrative divisions of New York#County of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States United States....
 to its east.






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Encyclopedia


Roosevelt Island 1889 Chapel
Roosevelt Island, formerly known as Welfare Island (from 1921 to 1973), and before that Blackwell's Island, is a narrow island in the East River
East River

The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland....
 of New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
. It lies between the island of Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
 to its west and the borough of Queens
Queens

Queens is the largest in area, the second-largest in population, and the easternmost of the Borough which form the New York City. The Borough of Queens' boundaries are identical to those of the County of Queens , a Administrative divisions of New York#County of the State of New York in the Northeastern United States United States....
 to its east. Running from Manhattan's East 46th to East 85th streets, it is about two miles long, with a maximum width of 800 feet, and a total area of 147 acres. The island is part of the Borough of Manhattan and New York County. Together with Mill Rock
Mill Rock

Mill Rock is a small unpopulated island between Manhattan and Queens in New York City, in the U.S. state of New York. It lies about off Manhattan's 96th Street , south of Randall's Island and Ward's Island where the East River and Harlem River converge....
 Island, Roosevelt Island comprises New York County's Census Tract
Census tract

A census tract, census area, or census district is a geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census. Usually these coincide with the Border of cities, towns or other administrative areas and several tracts commonly exist within a county....
 238, which has a land area of .279 sq mi. and had a population of 9,520 in 2000 according to the US Census. The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation estimated its population was about 12,000 in 2007. The land is owned by the city, but was leased to the State of New York's Urban Development Corporation for 99 years in 1969. Most of the residential buildings on Roosevelt Island are rental buildings. One (Rivercross) is a cooperative. One (Riverwalk Place) is a condominium. One rental building (Eastwood) has left New York State's Mitchell-Lama Housing Program, though current residents are protected. Three other buildings are now working toward privatization, including the cooperative.

Architecture

Though small, Roosevelt Island has a distinguished architectural history. It has several architecturally significant buildings, and has been the site of numerous important unbuilt architectural competitions and proposals.

The island's masterplan, adopted by the New York State Urban Development Corporation in 1969, was developed by the firm of Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson

Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect. With his thick, round-framed glasses, Johnson was the most recognizable figure in American architecture for decades....
 and John Burgee
John Burgee

John Burgee is an American architect important in Postmodern architecture. 1956 graduate of University of Notre Dame, USA, School of Architecture....
. The plan divided the island into three residential communities. The plan is noteworthy because it forbade the use of automobiles on the island. It was intended that residents would park their cars at a large garage and use public transportation to circulate. Another innovation was the plan's development of a 'mini-school system' in which classrooms for the island's public intermediate school were distributed among all the residential developments, in a campus-like fashion (as opposed to being centralized in one large building).

The first phase of Roosevelt Island's development was called "Northtown." It consists of four housing complexes: Westview, Island House, Rivercross, and Eastwood (Also know as the WIRE buildings). Rivercross is a Mitchell-Lama co-op, while the rest of the buildings in Northtown are rentals. Eastwood, the largest apartment complex on the island, and Westview were designed by noted architect Josep Lluis Sert
Josep Lluís Sert

Josep Llu?s Sert i L?pez was a Spain architect from Catalonia.Born in Barcelona, he showed keen interest in the works of his uncle, the painter Josep Maria Sert and of Antoni Gaud?....
, then dean of Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design

The Harvard Graduate School of Design is a graduate school at Harvard University offering degrees in Architecture, Landscape architecture, and urban planning....
. Eastwood, along with Peabody Terrace (in Cambridge, Massachusetts), is a prime example of Sert's investigations into high-rise multiple-dwelling residential buildings. It achieves a remarkable level of efficiency by triple-loading corridors with duplex apartment units, such that elevators and public corrdiors are only needed every three floors. Island House and Rivercross were designed by Johansen & Bhavnani. The two developments were noteworthy for their use of pre-fabricated cladding systems.

Subsequent phases of the island's development have been less innovative, architecturally. Northtown Phase II was developed by the Starrett Corporation and was designed by the firm Gruzen Samton in a pseudo-historical post-modern style. It was completed in 1989, over a decade after Northtown. Southtown, also designed by Gruzen Samton, is the third phase of the island's development. It was not started until 1998, and is still in the process of development.

As of January 2008, Buildings 1, 2, 3 and 4 have been completed. Buildings 5 and 6 are currently under construction. Residential development of Southtown has brought new retail businesses to Roosevelt Island, including a Starbucks
Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and List of coffeehouse chains based in Seattle, Washington, United States. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 16,120 stores in 44 countries....
 and Duane Reade
Duane Reade

Duane Reade is a chain of pharmacy and convenience stores, primarily located in New York City, known for its high volume small store layouts in densely populated Manhattan locations....
. Roosevelt Island, which is known for its limited variety of restaurants, has also gained two new restaurants as a result of Southtown development: Nonno's Foccaceria and Fiji East.

The Octagon, one of the island’s six landmarks, was restored in 2006. Originally designed by Alexander Jackson Davis in 1839 as the New York Lunatic Asylum, the national landmark and LEED Silver green building is now a high-end apartment community. It also houses the largest array of solar panels on any building in New York City.

In addition to Louis Kahn's Roosevelt Memorial, the island has also been the site of numerous other architectural speculations. Rem Koolhaas
Rem Koolhaas

Remment Lucas Koolhaas, , is a Dutch architect, architectural theory, urbanist and "Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design" at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, USA....
 and the Office of Metropolitan Architecture proposed two projects for the Island in his book "Delirious New York": the Welfare Island Hotel and the Roosevelt Island Redevelopment Proposal (both in 1975-76). That proposal was Koolhaas's entry into a competition held for the development of Northtown Phase II. Other entrants included Peter Eisenman
Peter Eisenman

Peter Eisenman is an American architect. Eisenman's fragmented forms are identified with an eclectic group of architects that have been labeled as deconstructivism....
, Robert A. M. Stern
Robert A. M. Stern

Robert Arthur Morton Stern, usually credited as Robert A. M. Stern, is an United States architect and Dean of the Yale School of Architecture....
, and Oswald Mathias Ungers
Oswald Mathias Ungers

Oswald Mathias Ungers or short O.M.U. was a German architect, known for his rationalist designs and the use of cubic forms. Among his notable projects are museums in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Cologne....
.

In 2006, ENYA (Emerging New York Architects) made the island's abandoned southern end the subject of one of its annual competitions.

Transportation

Although Roosevelt Island is located directly under the Queensboro Bridge
Queensboro Bridge

The Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City that was completed in 1909....
, it is not directly accessible from the bridge itself. A trolley connected passengers from Queens and Manhattan to a stop in the middle of the bridge, where passengers could take an elevator down to the island. The trolley operated from the bridge's opening until April 7, 1957. Between 1930 and 1955, the only vehicular access to the island was provided by an elevator system in the Elevator Storehouse that transported cars and commuters between the bridge and the island. The elevator was closed to the public after the construction of the Roosevelt Island Bridge
Roosevelt Island Bridge

The Roosevelt Island Bridge is a lift bridge that connects Roosevelt Island to Long Island City, New York in Queens, New York City. It is the sole route to the island for vehicular and foot traffic ....
 between the island and Astoria in 1955. It was finally demolished in 1970.

In 1976, the Roosevelt Island Tramway
Roosevelt Island Tramway

The Roosevelt Island Tramway is an aerial tramway in New York City that spans the East River and connects Roosevelt Island to Manhattan. Prior to the completion of the Portland Aerial Tram in December 2006, it was the only commuter aerial tramway in North America....
 was constructed to provide access to Midtown Manhattan. New York City Subway
New York City Subway

The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit....
 access via the IND 63rd Street Line
IND 63rd Street Line

The IND 63rd Street Line is a rapid transit line of the Independent Subway System division of the New York City Subway system. It runs from the IND Sixth Avenue Line at 57th Street east under 63rd Street and the East River through the 63rd Street Tunnel to the IND Queens Boulevard Line in Queens....
 finally arrived in 1989. Located over 100 feet below ground level, the Roosevelt Island station
Roosevelt Island (IND 63rd Street Line)

Roosevelt Island is a metro station on the IND 63rd Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located on Roosevelt Island in the East River, between Manhattan and Queens, it is served by the train at all times....
 is one of the deepest in New York City's subway system.

Roosevelt Island's residential community was not designed to support automobile traffic during its planning in the early 1970s. Automobile traffic has become common even though much of the island remains a car-free area. The MTA Bus Company
MTA Bus Company

MTA Bus Company is a service of MTA Regional Bus Operations used on routes previously controlled by the New York City Department of Transportation , and operated by private operators that provided service under contract to the NYCDOT....
  Q102 route operating between the island and Astoria obviates the need for automobiles to some extent.

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) operates an on-island shuttle bus service from apartment buildings to the subway and tramway for a fare of 25¢ (10¢ for seniors and disabled people). The bright red buses are highly visible.

Waste in the Roosevelt Island is collected by an Automated Vacuum Collection
Automated Vacuum Collection

The Automated Vacuum Collection system, also called "pneumatic refuse collection", transports waste at high speeds through underground tunnels to a building where it is compacted, sealed in containers and then carted away....
 System. This is the only AVAC system serving a residential complex in the USA.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, Roosevelt Island had a population of 9,520. 4,995, or 52% of the population, were female, and 4,525, or 48%, were male. The population was spread out with 5% under the age of 5, 20% under the age of 18, 67% between the ages of 18 and 65, and 15% over the age of 65.

The racial makeup of the island was 45% white (non-Hispanic), 27% black, 11% Asian or Pacific Islander, and .3% other races
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
. 14% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The median income was $49,976. 37% had an income under $35,000. 40% had incomes between $35,001 and $99,999, and 23% had an income over $100,000.

55% of the total households were family households, and 45% were non-family households. 17% of the residents were married couples with children, and 19% were married couples without children. 36% of the households were one-person households, and 9% were two or more non-family households. 3% were male-based households with related and unrelated children, and 16% were female-based households with related and unrelated children.

Since 2000, demographics have likely shifted. In April 2006, The Octagon, a 500-unit luxury rental building, opened its doors. Many young, affluent tenants occupy the studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units. 100 of the units therein are set aside for middle-income residents. Also in 2006, a multi-building luxury condominium called completed construction of its first buildings.

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service

The United States Postal Service is an Independent agencies of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States....
 operates the Roosevelt Island Station at 694 Main Street.

Education

Roosevelt Island, as with all parts of New York City, is served by the New York City Department of Education
New York City Department of Education

The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. These schools form the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,400 separate schools....
.

Residents are zoned to P.S. 217/I.S. 217 Roosevelt Island School. The Child School and Legacy High School
The Child School

The Child School / Legacy High School is a state chartered private school for children who have learning disabilities. It is located on Roosevelt Island, New York City where it was founded....
 serve K-12 special needs children with learning and emotional disabilities.

Public libraries

New York Public Library
New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is one of the leading Public library of the world and is one of the United States's most significant research libraries....
 operates the Roosevelt Island Branch at 524 Main Street.

Media


The Main Street WIRE


Roosevelt Island has its own community newspaper, The Main Street WIRE, founded in 1979 and published fortnightly. Volunteers deliver the newspaper to every residential door in the community.

The newspaper confines its coverage to Roosevelt Island matters, reporting on community concerns ignored by other New York City media, including issues that arise by virtue of Roosevelt Island being a community within New York City which is operated by the State (not the City) of New York, with a local "authority" called the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) in charge. For several years, The WIRE has editorialized in favor of a stronger element of elected home rule for the community, and various small steps have been taken in that general direction. Most recently, the Residents Association (RIRA) has been in the process of mounting an election which will serve to nominate members to the Board of Directors of the RIOC. The Governor will retain the final nominating power, however.

The WIRE derives its name from the first four residential buildings constructed on Roosevelt Island: Westview, Island House, Rivercross, and Eastwood. Current and back issues are on line at http://nyc10044.com.

Notable residents and visitors


Prisoners on Blackwell's and Welfare Island

Blackwell's Island Prison
*George Washington Dixon
George Washington Dixon

George Washington Dixon was an American singer, stage actor, and newspaper editing. He rose to prominence as a blackface performer after performing "Coal Black Rose", "Zip Coon", and similar songs....
—served six months for libel against Reverend Francis L. Hawks
Francis L. Hawks

Dr. Francis Lister Hawks was an United States priest of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and a politician in North Carolina....
  • The Farid Family
  • Emma Goldman
    Emma Goldman

    Emma Goldman was an anarchism known for her political activism, writing and speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century....
    —several times, for activities in support of anarchism
    Anarchism

    Anarchism is a political philosophy encompassing anarchist schools of thought which consider the state to be unnecessary, harmful, and/or undesirable....
     and birth control
    Birth control

    Birth control, sometimes synonymous with contraception, is a regimen of one or more actions, devices, or medications followed in order to deliberately prevent or reduce the likelihood of pregnancy or childbirth....
     and against the World War I
    World War I

    World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
     draft
    Conscription in the United States

    Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War. The United States discontinued the draft in 1973, moving to an all-volunteer United States Military, thus there is currently no mandatory conscription....
    .
  • Peter H. Matthews
    Peter H. Matthews

    Peter H. Matthews was an operator of policy games in New York City....
    —for operating policy games (illegal lotteries) all over New York City
  • Madame Restell
    Madame Restell

    Madame Restell was an early-19th-century abortionist who practiced in New York City.Restell was born Ann Trow on 6 May 1812 in Painswick, Gloucestershire, England....
    —for performing abortion
    Abortion

    An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death....
    s
  • Boss Tweed
    Boss Tweed

    William Marcy Tweed Jr. , known as "Boss Tweed," was an United States most famous for his leadership of Tammany Hall, the History of the United States Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th century New York....
    —served one year on corruption
    Political corruption

    Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption....
    -related charges
  • Mae West
    Mae West

    Mae West was an United States actor, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol.Known for her bawdy double entendres, West made a name for herself in Vaudeville and on the theatre in New York City before moving to Hollywood to become a comedienne, actress and writer in the film industry....
    —served eight days on public obscenity
    Obscenity

    Obscenity , is a term that is most often used in a law context to describe expressions that offend the prevalent sexual morality of the time....
     charges for her play Sex
  • Billie Holiday
    Billie Holiday

    Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter.Nicknamed Lady Day by her loyal friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday was a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing....
    —served on prostitution charges.
  • Fritz Joubert Duquesne—Nazi spy and leader of the Duquesne Spy Ring
    Duquesne Spy Ring

    The Duquesne Spy Ring is the largest espionage case in United States history that ended in convictions. On January 2, 1942, 33 members of a Germany spy ring headed by Frederick or Fritz Joubert Duquesne were sentenced to serve a total of over 300 years in prison....
    , the largest convicted espionage
    Espionage

    Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secrecy or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information....
     case in United States history.
  • Dutch Schultz
    Dutch Schultz

    Dutch Schultz was a New York City-area gangster of the 1920s and 1930s. Born Arthur Flegenheimer, he made his fortune in organized crime-related activities such as rum-running alcohol and the numbers racket....
    —arrested for burglary


Visitors who exposed conditions on Blackwell's Island

  • Nellie Bly
    Nellie Bly

    Nellie Bly was an American journalist, author, industrialist, and charity worker. She is most famous for an undercover Expos? in which she faked insanity to study a mental hospital from within....
    —went undercover as a patient in the Women's Lunatic Asylum and reported what happened in the New York World
    New York World

    The New York World was a newspaper published in New York from 1860 until 1931. It played a major role in the history of American newspapers....
     as well as her book Ten Days in a Mad-House
    Ten Days in a Mad-House

    Ten Days in a Mad-House is a book written by newspaper reporter Nellie Bly and published by Norman L. Munro in New York, NY in 1887. The book comprised Bly's reportage for the New York World while on an undercover journalism in which she feigned insanity to investigate reports of brutality and neglect at the Women's Lunatic Asylum on...
     (1887)
  • Charles Dickens
    Charles Dickens

    Charles John Huffam Dickens, Royal Society of Arts , pen-name "Boz", was the most popular English people novelist of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous Reform movement....
    —described conditions at the "Octagon", an asylum
    Psychiatric hospital

    A psychiatric hospital is a hospital specializing in the treatment of serious mental illness, usually for relatively long-term inpatients.Two rules usually govern whether someone should be placed in a psychiatric hospital: if someone is an immediate threat to harm themselves, or to harm other people....
     for the mentally ill then located on the northern portion of the island, in his American Notes
    American Notes

    American Notes for General Circulation is a Travel literature by Charles Dickens detailing his trip to North America in January to June 1842....
     (1842)


Former residents of Roosevelt Island

  • "Grandpa" Al Lewis
    Al Lewis

    Al Lewis was an United States actor best known for his role as "The Munsters#Grandpa" on the television series The Munsters. Later in life, he was also a restaurant owner, political candidate, and broadcasting....
     of The Munsters
    The Munsters

    The Munsters was a 1960s United States television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. The show was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era, such as Leave it to Beaver....
    , now deceased
  • Comedian Buddy Hackett
    Buddy Hackett

    Buddy Hackett was an United States comedian and actor. In his later life, he and his wife set up the Sinigita Animal Sanctuary in the San Fernando Valley, California....
    , now deceased
  • Sarah Jessica Parker
    Sarah Jessica Parker

    Sarah Jessica Parker , also sometimes referred to by her initials SJP, is an American film, television and theater actress and producer. She is best known for her leading role as Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO television series Sex and the City, for which she won four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Emmy Awar...
    , Sex and the City
  • Comedian Andrea Rosen
    Andrea Rosen

    Andrea Rosen is an United States comedian and actress most notable for her work with comedy troupes Stella and , and for her appearances in numerous television commercials....
  • Artist and photographer Jason A. Cina


Modern residents of Roosevelt Island

  • Author Gwynne Forster
  • Tim Keller
    Tim Keller

    Timothy J. Keller is an United States author, speaker, and the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, New York....
    , Christian author and minister
  • Fez Whatley
    Fez Whatley

    Fez Marie Whatley is a talk radio host and comedian who co-hosts The Ron and Fez Show. From October 9, 2007 to June 27, 2008, Whatley also served as the Executive Producer....
     of The Ron and Fez Show
  • Sonia Braga
    Sônia Braga

    S?nia Maria Campos Braga is a three-time Golden Globe-nominated Brazilian actor....


Roosevelt Island in fiction, film, & popular entertainment


  • 1867: In chapter 13 of Horatio Alger's novel Ragged Dick: Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks
    Ragged Dick

    Ragged Dick is a children's novel by Horatio Alger, Jr. about a poor bootblack and his Achieved status comfort and respectability through good morality, clean living, and determination....
    , the character Mickey Maguire, a young tough from Five Points
    Five Points

    Five Points may be:Census-recognized communities in the U.S.:*Five Points, Alabama*Five Points, Florida*Five Points, North Carolina*Five Points, Ohio...
     "had acquired an ascendency [sic] among his fellow professionals, and had a gang of subservient followers, whom he led on to acts of ruffianism, not infrequently terminating in a month or two at Blackwell's Island."
  • 1893: In the opening chapter of Stephen Crane
    Stephen Crane

    Stephen Crane was an United States novelist, short story writer, poet and journalist. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the literary realism tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism and Impressionism ....
    's novelette
    Novelette

    A novelette is a piece of short prose fiction. The distinction between a novelette and other literary forms, like a novella, is usually based upon word count....
     "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets
    Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

    Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is an 1893 novel by United States author Stephen Crane. Often called a novella because of its short length, it was Crane's first published fictional work....
    ", "a worm of yellow convicts" is seen emerging from a prison building on Roosevelt Island.
  • 1922: Yank, the main character in Eugene O'Neill
    Eugene O'Neill

    Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright, and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature. His plays are among the first to introduce into American drama the techniques of Realism , associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish playwright August Strindberg....
    's comedy The Hairy Ape
    The Hairy Ape

    The Hairy Ape is an expressionist play by Eugene O'Neill ....
    , is imprisoned in Blackwell's Island prison, in chapter VI.
  • 1925: Roosevelt Island appears in F. Scott Fitzgerald
    F. Scott Fitzgerald

    Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an United States writer of novels and short stories, whose works are evocative of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself....
    's classic novel The Great Gatsby
    The Great Gatsby

    The Great Gatsby is a novel by the United States author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published on April 10, 1925, it is set in Long Island's North Shore and New York City during the summer of 1922....
     as Blackwell's Island, in Chapter Four, when Nick and Jay drive into Manhattan via the Queensboro Bridge
    Queensboro Bridge

    The Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City that was completed in 1909....
    .
  • 1966: A sign posted on the Williamsburg Bridge in the film Mister Buddwing
    Mister Buddwing

    Mister Buddwing is a American film about a well-dressed man who finds himself on a bench in Central Park with no idea of who he is. He proceeds to wander around Manhattan meeting women as he desperately tries to figure out his own identity....
     reads: "Stairway to Welfare Island." Suzanne Pleshette
    Suzanne Pleshette

    Suzanne Pleshette was an United Statesn acting, on stage, cinema and television.After beginning her career in theatre, she began appearing in films in the early 1960s, such as Rome Adventure and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds ....
    , playing the character Grace, tries to throw herself off the bridge wearing nothing but a fitted trench coat and white ankle boots, before James Garner
    James Garner

    James Garner is an United States film and television actor.He has starred in several television program spanning a career of more than five decades....
    's character saves her.
  • 1973: In most Pink Floyd
    Pink Floyd

    Pink Floyd are an English Rock music band who initially earned recognition for their psychedelic rock and space rock music, and later, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music....
     Dark Side of the Moon
    The Dark Side of the Moon

    The Dark Side of the Moon is a concept album by the England progressive rock Musical ensemble Pink Floyd. It was released on 17 March 1973 in the United States and 24 March 1973 in the United Kingdom....
     videos Roosevelt Island can be seen during a sequence in the song "Us and Them
    Us and Them

    "Us and Them" is the sixth or seventh track from England progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon. It was written by Richard Wright and Roger Waters and sung by David Gilmour ....
    " with footage taken on top of the Queensboro Bridge.
  • 1981: A Roosevelt Island Tramway car is held hostage in the Sylvester Stallone
    Sylvester Stallone

    Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an 48th Academy Awards-nominated American actor, film director, film producer and screenwriter....
     film Nighthawks
    Nighthawks (film)

    Nighthawks is a 1981 in film thriller film starring Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, Lindsay Wagner, Persis Khambatta, Nigel Davenport and Rutger Hauer....
    .
  • 1983: The 1983 Italian B movie Fuga dal Bronx has a scene filmed at the north end of the island.
  • 1985: In the final scenes of the film Turk 182
    Turk 182

    Turk 182! is a 1985 film starring Timothy Hutton, Robert Urich and Kim Cattrall. It is also one of the first movies to receive a Motion Picture Association of America film rating system....
     the Timothy Hutton
    Timothy Hutton

    Timothy T. Hutton is an United States actor. He is the youngest actor to win the Academy Award for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at the age of 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in Ordinary People ....
     character swings above Roosevelt Island on the Queensboro Bridge.
  • 1991: In the opening scene of City Slickers
    City Slickers

    City Slickers is a 1991 in film comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern , Helen Slater, Jack Palance and Bruno Kirby....
     Billy Crystal
    Billy Crystal

    'William Edward' "'Billy'" 'Crystal' is an United States actor, writer, film producer, comedian, and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the American Broadcasting Company sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the box office successes Wh...
    's character "Mitch Robbins" is shown commuting to work via the Roosevelt Island tram.
  • 1993: In the film For Love or Money
    For Love or Money

    For Love or Money can refer to:Films:* For Love or Money , starring Kirk Douglas* For Love or Money , a 1993 film starring Michael J. FoxTelevision shows or episodes:...
    , Doug Ireland (played by Michael J. Fox
    Michael J. Fox

    Michael J. Fox is a Canadian American actor. His roles include Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy trilogy ; Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties , for which he won four Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award; and Mike Flaherty from Spin City , for which he won an Emmy, three Golden Globes, and two Screen Actors Guild Awar...
    ) wants to buy the "abandoned hotel" at the south end of Roosevelt Island.
  • 1994: In The Professional
    Léon (film)

    L?on is a French 1994 drama crime films film written and directed by France director Luc Besson. It stars Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and a young Natalie Portman in her first starring role....
     Mathilda Lando (played by Natalie Portman
    Natalie Portman

    Natalie Portman is an Israeli United Statesn actor. Portman began her career in the early 1990s, turning down the opportunity to become a child model in favor of acting....
    ) takes the Tramway to Roosevelt Island to seek asylum at the Spenser School.
  • 1997: The film Conspiracy Theory
    Conspiracy Theory (film)

    Conspiracy Theory is a 1997 in film Cinema of the United States action film/paranoid thriller film directed by Richard Donner. The original screenplay by Brian Helgeland centers on an eccentric taxicab driver who believes many world events are triggered by government conspiracy theory....
     was shot on location in and around New York City. Sites included Times Square
    Times Square

    Times Square is a major intersection in Manhattan, a borough of New York City at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd Street to West 47th Street s....
    , Union Square
    Union Square (New York City)

    Union Square is an important and historic intersection in New York City, located where Broadway and Bowery, Manhattan came together in the early 19th century; its name does not celebrate the federal union but rather denotes the fact that "here was the union of the two principal thoroughfares of the island" and the confluence of several troll...
    , Greenwich Village
    Greenwich Village

    Greenwich Village , often simply called the Village, is a largely residential area on the lower west side of southern Manhattan in New York City....
    , the Queensboro Bridge, Roosevelt Island, and the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York
    Valhalla, New York

    Valhalla is a Political subdivisions of New York State#Hamlet and Political subdivisions of New York State#Census-designated place located in the Political subdivisions of New York State#Town of Mount Pleasant, New York in Westchester County, New York, United States....
    .
  • 2001: Roosevelt Island's ruins, particularly the Smallpox Hospital and the Strecker Laboratory, play a central role in Linda Fairstein
    Linda Fairstein

    Linda Fairstein is one of America's foremost legal experts on crimes of violence against women and children. She served as head of the Sex and the law unit of the New York County District Attorney's office from 1976 until 2002 and is the author of a series of novels featuring Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper....
    's police procedural novel The Dead House (Scribner 2001).
  • 2002: Near the end of the film Spider-Man
    Spider-Man (film)

    Spider-Man is a 2002 in film American superhero film based on the fictional character Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The film is the first in the Spider-Man ....
    , the Green Goblin
    Green Goblin

    The Green Goblin is a name shared by several fictional supervillains that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko....
     blows up the Roosevelt Island side tram station and leaves a group of children hanging inside one car. He also brings Spider-Man
    Spider-Man

    Spider-Man is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character First appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 , and was created by scripter-editor Stan Lee and artist-plotter Steve Ditko....
     down to fight with him in an abandoned building on the island. The island is also featured in the video game Spider-Man 2
    Spider-Man 2 (video game)

    Spider-Man 2 is the name of several personal computer game and video games based on the Spider-Man universe and particularly the Spider-Man 2 film....
    .
  • 2002: In the film Gangs of New York, Leonardo Di Caprio's character Amsterdam Vallon is seen leaving "Hellgate House of Reform, Blackwell's Island, New York City".
  • 2005: Roosevelt Island is the setting for the movie Dark Water
    Dark Water (2005 film)

    Dark Water is a 2005 in film United States of America drama film-horror film film film director by Walter Salles and starring Jennifer Connelly....
    , where Dahlia (Jennifer Connelly
    Jennifer Connelly

    'Jennifer Lynn Connelly' is an United States film Actor and former child modeling. Although she has been working in the film industry since she was a teenager and catapulted to fame on the basis of her appearances in films like Labyrinth and Career Opportunities , she did not receive wide exposure for her work until the 2000 drama R...
    ) moves into a low-rent apartment with her daughter and then is terrorized by the ghost of a dead girl that used to live upstairs.
  • 2005: In the second season
    CSI: NY (season 2)

    The second season of CSI: NY originally aired between September 2005 in television and May 2006 in television.The Complete Second Season was released on DVD in the U.S....
     episode of CSI: New York called "Dancing with the Fishes
    Dancing with the Fishes

    Dancing With The Fishes is the fifth episode in the CSI: NY of the popular American crime drama CSI: NY. The episode first aired on October 26, 2005....
    ", a crime is committed inside one the Roosevelt Island tram
    Tram

    A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railroad car, of lighter weight and construction than a train, designed for the transport of passengers within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, on tracks running primarily on streets....
    .
  • 2005: In the famous novel by Caroline B. Cooney
    Caroline B. Cooney

    Caroline B. Cooney is an author of suspense, romance, horror and mystery books for teenagers....
    , Code Orange
    Code Orange (book)

    Code Orange is a young adult novel by Caroline B. Cooney. It is about a teen boy who lives in New York City by the name of Mitchell "Mitty" Blake who is care-free and doesn't worry much about his grades or school....
    's main character, Mitty, is studying smallpox
    Smallpox

    Smallpox is an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning spotted, or varus, meaning "pimple"....
     for his own survival. He goes and visits the smallpox hospital ruins on Roosevelt Island.
  • 2006: The fictional high school which the main characters attend in the GONZO anime
    Anime

    is animation in Japan and considered to be "Japanese animation" in the rest of the world. Anime dates from about 1917.Anime, in addition to manga , is extremely popular in Japan and well known throughout the world....
     series Red Garden
    Red Garden

    is a Japanese anime television program produced by Gonzo studios and broadcast in Japan on TV Asahi since October 3 2006. The plot revolves around four girls who become involved in a series of supernatural murders happening throughout the vicinity of a fictional depiction of New York City....
     is on Roosevelt Island.
  • 2007: In the film The Brave One
    The Brave One (2007 film)

    The Brave One is a police procedural/psychological thriller film 2007 in film, directed by Neil Jordan, produced by Joel Silver, and starring Jodie Foster....
    , starring Jodie Foster
    Jodie Foster

    Alicia Christian Foster, better known as Jodie Foster , is a two-time Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe-award winning and Emmy-nominated United States actor, Film director and film producer....
    , a memorable scene takes place at the Roosevelt Island parking lot. The film mentions the island several times.
  • 2007: In the novel by Cassandra Clare
    Cassandra Clare

    Cassandra Clare is the pseudonym of the bestselling author of the young adult trilogy The Mortal Instruments. Cassandra Clare was born to American parents in Tehran....
    , City of Bones
    City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)

    City of Bones is the first book in The Mortal Instruments trilogy, a young adult urban fantasy series set in New York City written by Cassandra Clare....
    , the protagonist is drawn to the island for a showdown with the elusive villain, Valentine.
  • 2008: In the video game Grand Theft Auto IV
    Grand Theft Auto IV

    Grand Theft Auto IV is a Nonlinear gameplay Action-adventure game video game developed by Rockstar North. It is the ninth game in the Grand Theft Auto ....
     there is a island resembling Roosevelt Island, named Colony Island. It also includes the ruins of a hospital, similar to the small pox hospital.
  • The tram and the island make other appearances in Spider-Man media, in The Amazing Spider-Man #161 and #162, appearing on the cover of the latter, and Spider-Man and Hulk fight on the Roosevelt Island in The Amazing Spider-Man #328.
  • The old King Kong
    King Kong

    King Kong is the name of a fictional giant gorilla from the fictional Skull Island, who has appeared in several works since 1933. These include the groundbreaking King Kong , the film remakes of King Kong and King Kong , and numerous sequels....
     Tramway ride at Universal Studios
    Universal Studios

    Universal Studios , a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the six Worldwide major American film studios. Its production studios are located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California....
     in Orlando, Florida
    Orlando, Florida

    Orlando is a major city in Central Florida, United States and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Florida. It is also the principal city of Orlando-Kissimmee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area....
    , featured the Roosevelt Island Tram.


See also

  • Theodore Roosevelt Island
    Theodore Roosevelt Island

    Theodore Roosevelt Island, formerly known as My Lord's Island, Barbadoes Island, Mason's Island, Analostan Island, and Anacostine Island, is a national memorial located in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C....
    , Washington, D.C.
    Washington, D.C.

    Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
  • United States Presidential Memorial
    United States presidential memorial

    The Presidential memorials in the United States honor the various Presidents of the United States and seek to perpetuate their legacies....


External links

  • — Roosevelt Island Community Newspaper
  • - Roosevelt Island History Timeline
  • — New York Times, December 4, 2005
  • - Blog containing short videos about Roosevelt Island including news, events, geography, and views from Roosevelt Island]* Local theatre and dance
  • Photo gallery of Roosevelt Island