- The Octagon (Roosevelt Island, New York)
-
The OctagonThe Octagon, Roosevelt Island, New York
Location: 888 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, Manhattan, NYC, NY, Coordinates: 40°46′8.42″N 73°56′38.13″W / 40.7690056°N 73.943925°WCoordinates: 40°46′8.42″N 73°56′38.13″W / 40.7690056°N 73.943925°W Built: 1835 Architect: Alexander Jackson Davis Architectural style: Octagon Mode Governing body: Private NRHP Reference#: 72000880[1] Added to NRHP: March 16, 1972 The Octagon built in 1834 is an historic octagonal building located at 888 Main Street on Roosevelt Island in New York City. It originally served as the main entrance to the New York City Lunatic Asylum which opened in 1841. Designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, the five-story rotunda was made of blue-gray stone that was quarried on the island. It is the last remnant of the hospital and after many years of decay and two fires was close to ruin. In 2006, a newly constructed residential building was built on the site, modeled on the original structure. It received LEED Silver status from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2008.
Mistreatment of patients at the asylum was the center of the exposé by Nellie Bly in her 1887 book Ten Days in a Mad-House.
On March 16, 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[1]
Contents
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
Further reading
- Gray, Christopher, "STREETSCAPES/The Octagon on Roosevelt Island; A Once-Grand 1839 Tower Is Given a New Life", The New York Times, January 23, 2005
- Vita, Tricia, "Restoring Roosevelt Island's Ruins: A developer has plans for a former asylum beside Manhattan", Preservation magazine, National Trust for Historic Preservation, April 25, 2003
External links
- Official site
- NYC Landmark description and history
- Forgotten NY on Roosevelt Island including the Octagon
New York City Historic Sites NRHP: Manhattan – Brooklyn – Queens – Staten Island – Bronx • NHL: New York State
NYC: Manhattan – Brooklyn – Queens – Staten Island – Bronx
Categories:- New York City building and structure stubs
- Buildings and structures in Manhattan
- Landmarks in New York City
- Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City
- Buildings and structures completed in 1835
- Octagonal buildings in the United States
- Roosevelt Island
- Alexander Jackson Davis buildings
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.