Wednesday, December 14, 2022 – WE RECEIVE MANY INQUIRIES ABOUT THE ISLAND HISTORY AND SOME PRODUCE INTERESTING RESULTS

By admin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

860th  ISSUE

WEDNESDAY,  DECEMBER 14,  2022

THE R.I.H.S. ARCHIVES

AN IMPORTANT

AND

CONSTANTLY USED RESOURCE

JUDITH BERDY

Over the last many years, the RIHS has received numerous requests from authors, film-makers, playwrights, students and scholars.

Occasionally, we actually see the finished product.  Here are some of the end-products:

In 2018 Travis Russ contacted the RIHS about gay prisoners at the Penitentiary on Welfare Island. He and his team scoured our archives and started on a quest that has lead to a new theatrical production “The Gorgeous Nothings” about the “Fag” prisoners in 1930 Penitentiary  and Workhouse here.  

“The Gorgeous Nothings” is a product of Life Jacket Theatre Co. and has held it’s first reading recently..

Linda Fairstein contacted us when she was still a Prosecutor in the District Attorney’s office about our island history.

Stacy Horn contacted us numerous times while writing “Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th-Century New York“

Elizabeth Barlow Rogers followed up on her original book “Forests and Wetlands” and used our story to tell of the development of the current island community.

When Bruce Becker was developing the Octagon, the RIHS shared all the information we had on the building architecture.  The material we provided was used to obtain approval for the historic restoration and Federal funding of the landmark Octagon.

Ten years ago Architect Tom Fenniman asked for photos of the lighthouse
and from them and more research our landmark lamp has been restored to its original appearance.

Plaque with history of the Cornell Tech campus is located at the northeast corner of Bloomberg Center.

Graduate Hotel has a treasury of island history from Nellie Bly, the Penitentiary, Mae West and Queen Kapiolani place throughout the building including the elevators.

When Christies was about to auction “Blackwell’s Island” by Edward Hopper, the RIHS provided historical information, images and details that were used in the catalogue in 2013.  The painting was sold to  Crystal Bridges Museum in Benton, Arkansas for $17,000,000.

When the RIHS was asking to acquire the trolley kiosk, extensive research had to be done and submitted for the building to be relocated to the island,  This lead to an abundance of information on the Queensboro Bridge, Trolley System and development of Queens.

WEDNESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

SEND YOUR ANSWER TO:
ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM

TUESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

The vent shaft building opposite the subway station has been revealed and soon the wooden covers on the fence will be removed and a lovely mosaic will be 
revealed.

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

Sources

JUDITH BERDY

THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com