Thursday, December 4, 2025 – REMOVING THE STEAM PLANT IS A DANGEROUS AND COMPLICATED JOB

By admin

Questions Arise on 

Proposed Steam Plant Demolition

Plans

JUDITH BERDY

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2025

ISSUE #1585

This is my understanding of the  RIOC meeting on Tuesday:

Last evening, the RIOC Operations Advisory Committee – along with the RIOC President, RIOC staff, and residents – met with a representative of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to discuss the demolition of the Steam Plant under the “Emergency Demolition Order” of the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB).

The sole HPD representative at the meeting was Rachel Swack, Acting Chief of Staff at HPD. Ms.Swack is not an engineer, lawyer or expert on the project. No representatives from DOB or Statewide Demolition (the contractor) were present.
The first question posed was: Why is this being treated as an emergency now, since the plant closed in 2013?

We were presented with a copy of the handwritten Emergency Demolition Order from DOB. 

Ms. Swack presented a spreadsheet, provided by Statewide Demolition, identifying the initial tasks and timelines covering the first two months of the 9-12 month demolition project.  

The project is estimated to cost $7,300,000, and does not include any remediation of the steam tunnel that runs under the Queens-side promenade between the Steam Plant and Coler Hospital.
When asked detailed questions, Ms. Swack had no specific answers.  Her reply to the question about the lack of community involvement was that this is an emergency where public safety was the foremost and critical criteria.  Therefore, community discussions about the merits of the demolition were moot.
Concerns raised about the DOB emergency demolition order included:

1. What is the public safety emergency, other than the demolition of the smokestacks? What person or circumstance initiated DOB’s action to assess the Steam Plant for emergency demolition?

2. Can the main Steam Plant building, sans smokestacks, be preserved and re-purposed through remediation rather than demolition?

3. If public safety is of primary concern, the steam tunnel poses a much greater risk than the Steam Plant building, absent the two smokestacks. The tunnel is at risk of collapse taking down the promenade above it, was the conduit of serious flooding to Coler Hospital during Hurricane Sandy, and poses a threat to vast stretches of our seawall.
,
Community concerns expressed at the meeting concerning the method of demolition, should it go forward, included the following:

1. The most important need is barging all debris off the island.  Ms Swack responded that the contractor was asked to prioritize barging wherever feasible, but that honestly speaking there will be the need for trucking as well. Members of the public were adamant that barging is the only way to protect our singular Main Street road – and the health, safety and peaceful enjoyment of the community.

2. Since the area is polluted are soil tests being taken before soil is removed?

3. What remediation and removal would be used? Has the EPA been contacted about the pollution monitoring needed?

4. What conversations are being held with the MTA since the building is over the N/R subway tunnel built in 1917?

5. What conversations have been held with POMA on the safe removal of the two smokestacks?

6. What conversations have been held with the Department of Transportation since the site is adjacent to the Queensboro Bridge?
7. One audience member, an architect aske for more specific information on the condition of the building and copies of inspections and reports on the condition.

Committee Chair Faye Chistianson asked Ms. Swack to address all of the community concerns raised at the meeting in a follow-up report. More information, hopefully from knowledgeable HPD/DOB and contractor experts, will be forthcoming.

Judith Berdy

TO READ THE FULL HISTORY AND SEE IMAGES OF THE INTERIOR AND WORKINGS OF THE STEAM PLANT GO TO:

https://charlesgiraudet.com/Rindex.html

CHARLES GIRAUDET IS A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER WHO SPENT MANY MONTHS ON THE ISLAND RESEARCHING GOLDWATER HOSPITAL AND THE STEAM PLANT. HE INTERVIEWED THE STAFF OF BOTH FACILITIES AND HIS WRITINGS AND PHOTOS ARE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH AVAILABLE

JUDITH BERDY

UPDATE:

THERE WILL BE A RIOC MEETING TOMORROW TO DISCUSS THE PROCESS TO DO THIS PROJECT.

The work is beginning to demolish the steam plant.  Not used since 2013, the original building opened in 1939 and an addition added in 1954.  The plant provided steam to Goldwater Hospital, isalnd insttuions and all the up the east side to Coler Hospital.

The steam plant is in a complicated location and any demolition will be a massive exercise. Some of the compkications include:
A building contaminated with asbestos, fuels, lead.
Tunnels leading to the east side tunnel along the river
Two smokestacks that are in dangerous locations, including one by the Tram Station
Being located directly adjoining the Tram Station and under the Queensboro Bridge
Being located adjacent to a subway tunnel N&R lines)
A large area containing underground fuel storage to the south of the building.
Being located on the only southbound access street to the south end.

The original building designed by Starrett & Van Vleck Architects 

A smokestack next to the Tram

I visited the interior of the plant in 2012-2014 while it was still staffed by Goldwater engineers.

The building was used for movie shoots and then closed down due to asbestos concerns.

Whatever actions are taken, this will be a massive project due to the buildings location, condtion and all the structures and roads that it is surrounded by,
A Special Job

PHOTO OF THE DAY

SHOP THE RIHS KIOSK
OPEN DAILY EXCEPT TUESDAYS 12-5 P.M.
OPEN UNTIL 5:30 ON FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS

CREDITS

JUDITH BERDY
ROOSEVELTISLANDER.BLOGSPOT.COM

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated
THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

Copyright © 2025 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com