Tuesday, May 27, 2008

A Rare Look Inside Roosevelt Island's Renwick Ruins Smallpox Hospital

Image of collapsing wall at Renwick Ruins from Gothamist

Roosevelt Island's Renwick Ruins Smallpox Hospital at Southpoint Park is about to undergo a $4 million stabilization program that will attempt to prevent the structure from completely collapsing.

Very few people have ever been inside the Renwick Ruins - or at least are still alive to talk about it. Here's a chance to take a look inside the Renwick Ruins Smallpox Hospital on Roosevelt Island from the safety of your computer screen.


You Tube video Inside Renwick Ruins Smallpox Hospital (Part 1)



You Tube video Inside Renwick Ruins Smallpox Hospital (Part 2)

6 comments :

Anonymous said...

http://flickr.com/photos/viajes/2322606193/in/set-72157600392018713/

Anonymous said...

This is so sad...when we were kids growing up on RI, we used to play hide and go seek in the building...

pivan81 said...

this was not a nut house it was one of the 1st smallpox treatment centers and later a nurse training school. i believe it was part of elmhurst hospital which burned down and it was moved to broadway in queens. elmhurst when it was there on the island did have a nut unit and there are still hospitals of that sort on the islands and the islands around like randalls so it goes to show that nyc put their nuts on islands, hey why not? but most importantly i hope you left the duck alone and the kids r swiming around today

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the inside view.
As a child who grew up in Manhattan my family and I used to drive alot on the FDR and I remember looking out the window to my right and seeing what was left of this building. My brothers would say it was a crazy house where monsters lived and my older brother would tell the younger one if he misbehaved he would be shipped there permanently. I always found it very pretty and I envisioned it a castle and I would one day grow up and restore it and live there.
That was many years ago and I no longer live in Manhattan but do pass it on occassion and I noticed lately at night its lit up making it even prettier. I told my husband and kids my ' spooky" house, as my brothers called it memories.
Today I had the pleasure of touring Roosevelt Island and in my life long search to see ' spooky' house up close my husband drove us as close as possible and a resident led the way in. After almost 30 years and even though there is a big fence around it I came as close to it as I could.
Its hollowness made me wonder what those remaining walls would say if they could only speak. I read the signs and realized ' spooky' house was just a remnant of an old hospital. I was still glad I went and I hope one day its somewhat restored so people can actually go inside and if that happens I will be first in line.............
Thank you for the video~

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