Roosevelt Island

Roosevelt Island is a narrow island in the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens in New York City, renamed for President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1973. It combines residential neighborhoods, parks, academic facilities, and a number of preserved 19th-century institutional structures.

The island features a distinctive aerial link, the Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects directly to Midtown Manhattan. The southern tip is home to Four Freedoms Park, a memorial space with framed views of the city; the northern end hosts the Cornell Tech campus built in the late 2010s. Several historic sites remain on the island, including the ruined Smallpox Hospital and the Octagon building.

Historically the island was known as Blackwell’s Island and later Welfare Island and hosted a succession of public institutions in the 19th and early 20th centuries - prisons, hospitals, and asylums. During the late 20th century it was redeveloped into a planned residential community and cultural/academic hub, with major public projects and new construction completed in the 2000s and 2010s.

Geographically it sits in the East River channel between Manhattan and Queens, within the municipal boundaries of New York City, and is immediately adjacent to Roosevelt Island Bridge to Queens and subway and tram connections to Manhattan.

• Tramway views: The Roosevelt Island Tramway provides some of the clearest direct skyline views of Midtown Manhattan and is often faster than local subway transfers during weekday commutes.
• Best viewpoints: FDR Four Freedoms Park occupies the island's southern tip and is a primary viewpoint for sunrise and sunset vistas across the East River toward Manhattan.

What to See #

• Roosevelt Island Tramway: Aerial cable link that opened in 1976 and runs between Manhattan (59th Street) and the island, offering direct pedestrian access and skyline views of Manhattan during the roughly 4-minute crossing.
• Four Freedoms Park: Memorial park at the island's southern tip dedicated to Franklin D. Roosevelt and opened to the public in 2012; notable for its axial design and views back to Manhattan.
• Cornell Tech campus: Tech campus developed by Cornell University and Technion on the island's northern end, launched in the late 2010s to host academic programs and research facilities.
• Smallpox Hospital (ruins): Mid-19th-century Smallpox Hospital ruins designed by James Renwick Jr., visible as a dramatic masonry ruin on the island's southwest shore.
• The Octagon: Historic octagonal building on the island converted into a small museum and community space; originally part of a 19th-century asylum complex.