Roosevelt Island in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
History
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An Island Named for Roosevelt
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 13, 2022
1. History / An Island Named for Roosevelt Marker
History
Originally called Minnahannock, the island was eventually acquired by the Blackwell family. In 1828, the City of New York purchased the island as a site for prisons and hospitals in order to capitalize on the island's isolation to keep certain people"our standing army of paupers, criminals, and sick poor," the reformer Jacob Riis called them in the 1890snearby, but distantly apart. That year the City renamed it Welfare Island.
An Island Named for Roosevelt
By the late 1960s, most of the institutional buildings on the island had fallen out of use and New York City, in partnership with New York State, saw an opportunity on the two-mile long plot of land to redevelop it into affordable housing. Fittingly, the island's name was changed to Franklin D. Roosevelt Island. Today, it is home to fourteen thousand residents.
Freedom from Want | Freedom from Fear
Erected by Roosevelt Island Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Law Enforcement • Science & Medicine • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1828.
Location. 40° 45.107′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in New York City. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Four Freedoms / Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (here, next to this marker); Louis Kahn (here, next to this marker); Jo Davidson (here, next to this marker); Smallpox Hospital (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Smallpox Hospital (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Smallpox Hospital
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 13, 2022
2. History / An Island Named for Roosevelt Marker
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 241 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 17, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
