Roosevelt Island in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
FDR Hope Memorial
1828: City of New York purchases Blackwell's Island for charitable and corrective institutions.
1832: The penitentiary opens, built from stone quarried on the island.
1839: New York City Asylum for the Insane opens.
1856: Smallpox Hospital built with convict labor.
1861: Charity Hospital built with convict labor.
1869: The work-house opens.
1882: Franklin Delano Roosevelt born January 30 in Hyde Park, New York.
1894: First known United States polio epidemic occurs in Vermont.
1910: FDR elected to New York State Senate.
1916: Severe polio epidemic hits New York City.
1921: FDR contracts polio and never regains use of his legs.
1921: Blackwell's Island renamed Welfare Island.
1927: FDR forms Georgia Warm Springs Foundation for Polio Rehabilitation.
1928: FDR elected Governor of New York.
1929: First patient saved by newly invented iron lung.
1932: FDR elected President of the United States
1934: FDR's Birthday Ball Fundraisers for Polio Care and Research begin.
1936: FDR re-elected.
1937: National Foundation for Infantile
this page online
1939: Goldwater Hospital opens on the Island, becomes a leader in care for paralyzed polio patients.
1940: FDR re-elected.
1941-1945: FDR leads the United States during World War II.
1944: FDR re-elected.
1945: FDR dies April 12 at Warm Springs, Georgia.
1945: The United Nations, envisioned by FDR, opens.
1952: Polio cases reported in the United States peak at over 57,000.
1953: Dr. Jonas Salk develops polio vaccine.
1973: Welfare Island renamed Roosevelt Island, becomes residential community, memorial to FDR planned.
1976: Goldwater Hospital patients join community in apartments designed for those physically disabled.
1990: Americans with Disabilities Act becomes law.
2012: FDR Four Freedoms Park opens at the southern tip of Roosevelt Island.
2013: Goldwater Hospital decommissioned and demolished.
2020: FDR Hope Memorial opens.
World Health Organization announces polio is eradicated globally.
All communities become more like Roosevelt Island: accessible, inclusive, and welcoming.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself…which paralyzes
Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1882-1943
Erected 2020 by Roosevelt Island Disabled Association.
Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Government & Politics • Law Enforcement • Science & Medicine • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is January 30, 1828.
Location. 40° 45.143′ N, 73° 57.565′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is on Roosevelt Island. Marker is on East Road, 0.1 miles south of Road 3, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: E Rd, New York NY 10044, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Smallpox Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Smallpox Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); History / An Island Named for Roosevelt (within shouting distance of this marker); Four Freedoms / Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (within shouting distance of this marker); Louis Kahn (within shouting distance of this marker); Jo Davidson (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Smallpox Hospital (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Strecker Memorial Laboratory (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 81 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 17, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
