History of the Island:

The area within New York City currently known as Roosevelt Island was not always so. In 1688, this land was owned by Robert Blackwell. On July 19, 1828, New York City purchased the island from Blackwell. At first, the island served as a center for castaways (those without a place to be), but shortly transformed into something else. In 1832, the process of building Blackwell Island Penitentiary began.

Formation of the Penitentiary:

The Blackwell Penitentiary was constructed of gray granite and resembled a fortress or castle. Following the completion of the main building, builders added the north wing of the penitentiary. At its completion, the facility was set to house almost a thousand inmates. Many of the inmates were serving misdemeanor sentences. Furthermore, Blackwell Penitentiary did not house those convicted of treason, murder or arson, however, any other crimes were fair game. In 1852, the Workhouse was built, and contained 221 cells, which functioned as an institution for punishment. Many of the discharged convicts mentioned throughout the Diary served time at the Blackwell’s Island Penitentiary. This location served as the primary prison, alongside Sing Sing Prison.

Blackwell's Island Expands:

Blackwell’s Island housed multiple facilities alongside the penitentiary. It is important to note that all of the facilities were built at different periods of time. On the southern end of the island, there was the small-pox hospital. As the name suggests, this hospital was dedicated to small-pox cases. There were also several wooden buildings dedicated to the treatment of patients who suffered from ship fever and typhus. Behind the hospital, was another hospital—Charity Hospital. This building was split into two wings, standing at three and a half stories tall. Each wing was dedicated to men or women. Over twelve hundred patients could be housed there, with over four hundred deaths occurring annually. Another building located on the island was the Almshouse. This was located north of the penitentiary and consisted of two buildings. One building was dedicated to men and the other was dedicated to women. Lastly, besides the workhouse, there is also a home for the keeper of the Almshouse and the Lunatic Asylum. Located on one end of the island, the Lunatic Asylum served as a place for those deemed mentally ill. Built in 1832, along with the Penitentiary, the Asylum held 576 patients.

Where is Blackwell's Island Now?

In the 1850s, one section of the island—one of the hospitals, burnt down in a fire, and was then rebuilt. Blackwell’s Island continued to operate until the 1890s, when the facilities closed their doors. In the 1920s, the island was renamed Welfare Island and many of the buildings destroyed to make way for a hospital. Fast forward to the 1970s, and the island has once again been renamed—Roosevelt Island. Currently, the remaining portion of Blackwell’s Island—the Octagon Tower—was restored and built into a series of apartment buildings. Now, the predominant use of Roosevelt Island is for apartments. Yet, one cannot shake the eerie feeling of living on an island that was once home to a lunatic asylum. It leaves one wondering, what is it like living on an island that once held thousands of troubled souls?

Sources:

"Before Rikers, Blackwell's Was DOC's Island Home." Evolution of NY's Prison System. Accessed February 19, 2019. http://www.correctionhistory.org/html/chronicl/nycdoc/html/blakwel1.html.

Horn, Stacy. Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad & Criminal in 19th Century New York. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2018.

"Octagon Tower." Roosevelt Island Historical Society. Accessed February 19, 2019. http://rihs.us/?page_id=401.

Sica, Stephanie. "Then and Now – New York City Lunatic Asylum on Roosevelt Island." NYC Then/Now: Great Depression & Great Recession, March 21, 2012.