Smallpox Hospital

Smallpox Hospital
Seen in April 2019
Smallpox Hospital is located in New York City
Smallpox Hospital
Smallpox Hospital is located in New York
Smallpox Hospital
Smallpox Hospital is located in the United States
Smallpox Hospital
LocationRoosevelt Island,
Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates40°45′6″N 73°57′34″W / 40.75167°N 73.95944°W / 40.75167; -73.95944
Area0.9 acres (3,600 m2)[2]
BuiltMain building: 1854-56
South wing: 1903-04
North wing: 1904-05
ArchitectJames Renwick Jr. (main building)
York & Sawyer (south wing)
Renwick, Aspinwall & Owen (north wing)[3]
Architectural styleGothic Revival[2]
NRHP reference No.72000881[1]
NYSRHP No.06101.000496
NYCL No.0908
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 16, 1972
Designated NYSRHPJune 23, 1980
Designated NYCLMarch 23, 1976[4]

The Smallpox Hospital, sometimes referred to as the Renwick Smallpox Hospital and later the Maternity and Charity Hospital Training School, was a hospital located on Roosevelt Island in Manhattan, New York City. Originally designed by architect James Renwick Jr., the 100-bed hospital opened in 1856, when the area was known as Blackwell's Island.[5][6]

A century after it opened, the hospital was closed, and the building eventually fell into disrepair. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and designated a New York City Landmark four years later, the only ruin in the city with that designation.[7] After the completion of an ongoing $4.5 million stabilization project, the Smallpox Hospital ruins will be open to the public.[8]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Rosebrook, Ellen (June 15, 1971). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Smallpox Hospital". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2009-12-06.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1. p.403
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference desrep was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Dunlap, David W. (2008-01-05). "A Roosevelt Island Ruin Sinks Further Into Decay". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  6. ^ "Timeline of Roosevelt Island History". NYC10044.com. The Main Street WIRE. Archived from the original on 2009-05-17. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  7. ^ "NYC Opening Old Smallpox Hospital to Public". 1010WINS.com. WINS (AM). 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2009-12-02. [dead link]
  8. ^ Dunlap, David W. (2009-04-14). "Shoring Up a Landmark Ruin on Roosevelt Island". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-12-02.