Friday, July 16, 2021 – THE LONG AWAITED FDR HOPE MEMORIAL IS FINALLY HERE

By admin

FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021

The

417th Edition

HONORING

FDR:

 THE NEW HOPE

MEMORIAL

This Saturday, July 17th, Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) and the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) plan to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the unveiling of the FDR Hope Memorial, an immersive work of art commemorating the progressive former U.S. president and disability advocate, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Join us at Southpoint Park for the celebratory ribbon-cutting. Attendees able to utilize grass areas surrounding the memorial will be asked to do so. Special accommodations can be made upon request for those who require them.

The inspiration for the sculpture by Meredith Bergmann was this image of FDR with  a young girl.

FRIDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

SEND YOUR SUBMISSION
TO ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM

THURSDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

IRT POWERHOUSE
WEWST END AVENUE AND 58 STREET
AND SPARBERG, ED LITCHER, ARON EISENPREISS,
GLORIA HERMAN AND LAURA HUSSEY
GOT IT RIGHT!

IRT Powerhouse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The IRT Powerhouse, also known as the Interborough Rapid Transit Company Powerhouse, is a former power station of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), which operated part of the modern New York City Subway. The building fills a block bounded by 58th Street, 59th Street, Eleventh Avenue, and Twelfth Avenue in the Hell’s Kitchen and Riverside South neighborhoods of Manhattan.

The IRT Powerhouse was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by Stanford White, an architect working with the firm McKim, Mead & White, and was intended to serve as an aboveground focal point for the IRT. The facade is made of granite, brick, and terracotta, incorporating extensive ornamentation. The interiors were designed by engineers John van Vleck, Lewis B. Stillwell, and S. L. F. Deyo. The powerhouse was constructed to supply power to the New York City Subway’s first line, which was operated by the IRT. At its peak, it could generate more than 100,000 horsepower (75,000 kW).

The land was acquired in late 1901, and the structure was constructed from 1902 to 1905. Several changes were made to the facility throughout the early and mid-20th century, and an annex to the west was completed in 1950. The New York City Board of Transportation took over operation of the powerhouse when it acquired the IRT in 1940 and continued to operate it until 1959, when Consolidated Edison repurposed the building as part of the New York City steam system. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the powerhouse as a city landmark in 2017, after several decades of attempts to grant landmark status to the building.

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter  and Deborah Dorff
All image are copyrighted (c)

ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION
ROOSEVELT ISLAND DISABLED ASSOCIATION
FDR LIBRARY NATIONAL ARCHIVES COLLECTION

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

FUNDING PROVIDED BY ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE GRANTS CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE BEN KALLOS DISCRETIONARY FUNDING THRU DYCD

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rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com