What Was Roosevelt Island Like In 1982? Some Answers From NY Times and You Tube
A little bit of Roosevelt Island history before the arrival of the subway. A reader sends in this link to a 1982 NY Times article titled:
IF YOU'RE THINKING OF LIVING IN:; ROOSEVELT ISLANDA few quotes from the article:
... It is an island of baby strollers and children playing fearlessly in the street, sparkling vistas of Manhattan and refreshing breezes. It is also an island of silent nights, little street life and none of the pulsating activity to be found just across the river. For people who seek proximity to the city but prefer a relatively safe and quiet place to make their home, Roosevelt Island may be a good choice...For more on Roosevelt Island from 30 years ago, take a look at this You Tube video of Roosevelt Island - An Island Place, showing what the Roosevelt Island Experiment was like for some of the first residents to move here in the late 1970's and early 1980's.
...The island is accessible to cars via a small bridge that connects it to Queens at 36th Avenue. When the tram is out of service, residents must cross this bridge by bus and then travel to Manhattan - where most work - by a circuitious route. Cars are allowed on the island, but may park only in the Motorgate Parking Garage...
... The Rivercross complex has 375 deluxe co-ops and some of the finest views in the city. Because it was built under the state's Mitchell-Lama subsidy program, resale prices are legally limited to recouping the price of the original investment. Apartments sell for $15,000 to $30,000 and monthly maintenance costs, which are partly tax deductible, range from $500 to $1,200. Here, too, the turnover is moderate, with about three sales a month.
Illegal co-op sales have been made at Rivercross in the past, with shareholders charging more than the legal maximum. As a result, the co-op board instituted a stringent system of appraisal...
... Many residents cite a lack of diversity in shops and their relatively high prices as the island's greatest drawback. As a result, some shop for food and staples in Queens. On the island there is only one supermarket, a mom-and-pop store, a pharmacy, a pizzeria, and a deli. For frills, diversity or particularly attractive sales, residents have to look elsewhere.
2 comments :
The irony is that many of the new inhabitants moved to Roosevelt Island because it was different from Manhattan but then started
to change it into just another
"asphalt jungle" where cars became a danger for children and the elderly and planted themselves everywhere.
I agree with posting above. It could have become a car-free environment in the middle of NYC. I think it would have been cool, useful, and maybe an eye-opener to some.
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