Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Lower New York Bay |
Coordinates | 40°34′44″N 74°03′13″W / 40.578873°N 74.053688°W |
Area | 11 acres (4.5 ha) |
Administration | |
United States | |
State | New York |
City | New York City |
Borough | Staten Island |
Hoffman Island is an 11-acre (4.5 ha) artificial island in the Lower New York Bay, off the South Beach of Staten Island, New York City.[1] A smaller, 4-acre (1.6 ha) artificial island, Swinburne Island, lies immediately to the south.[2] Created in 1873 upon the Orchard Shoal[3] by the addition of land fill, the island is named for former New York City mayor (1866–1868) and New York Governor (1869–1871) John Thompson Hoffman.[4]
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Hoffman and Swinburne Islands were used as a quarantine station, housing immigrants who, upon their arrival at the immigrant inspection station at nearby Ellis Island, presented with symptoms of contagious disease(s).[1]
April 23, 1863, what is now known as the General Quarantine Act was passed, defining the quarantine establishment, authorizing its construction, creating the permanent office of Quarantine Commissioner, defining the duties and powers of the Commissioners and Health Officer, and establishing a general system of quarantine for the port. Additional powers were conferred by amendments made to this general act in 1864, 1865, 1866, and 1867, under which two small steamers were purchased; the property at Tompkinsville, Staten Island, known as the Marine Hospital Grounds, was sold; and the artificial islands in the lower bay were undertaken and afterward completed – Swinburne Island in 1860, and Hoffman Island in 1873.
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