Smallpox Memorial Hospital

On my trip to New York City over the summer, I had the opportunity to visit Smallpox Memorial Hospital on Roosevelt Island in Manhattan. Although it is now an ivy covered medial style ruin, brightly lit at night to symbolize regality and sinisterness, it used to be the first hospital in the country to receive patients with smallpox.

Due to the arrival of infected immigrants at Ellis Island, there was an increase in the amount of people with smallpox in the early 1800s. It was required by law for residents infected with the disease to be quarantined at the hospital, called Blackwell Island Hospital at the time.

After the introduction of an effective vaccine that allowed NYC to control their smallpox outbreaks, there was no more need for the hospital to be used as a quarantine for patients. At that time, the hospital closed and it became a training center for nurses, where more buildings were added to accommodate the growing student base.

In the 1950s, as the island changed, the operations moved to newer buildings in Queens, and this building was no longer used. The building fell into disrepair, and it was renamed Roosevelt in honor of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The memorial itself has been restabilized with the help of a 4.5 million dollar project, along with a 14 acre public space open for visitors. It is now an expression of an eerie romantic mood, comparable to the Gothic ruins of England and Wales.

Here are the sources I used! If you have any questions, please comment down below or drop them in the forum!

https://rioc.ny.gov/178/Smallpox-Hospital