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Apr
30
Apr
5
Cherry Blossom Tour
Cherry Blossom Tour
Saturday, April 20th, 2019
11:00 a.m.
Meet at RIHS Visitor Center Kiosk
Tram Plaza
Roosevelt Island
Suggested Donation:
$15 – Adults, $10 – Seniors
No Reservations Required
rihs.us
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com
Feb
7
Public Lecture Presented by Roosevelt Island Historical Society
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Feb
1
Jan
7
Sunday Tea With Mae West
Sunday Tea With Mae West
Click above to chose your level of contribution to RIHS through this event.
THE ROOSEVELT ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY INVITES YOU TO
SUNDAY TEA WITH MAE WEST
February 10, 2019, 2:00–4:00 pm
Welfare Island’s bawdiest Workhouse inmate returns, in person, for an afternoon of:
Gourmet refreshment
Intimate confessions
Risqué repartee
Vintage movies
LIMITED SEATING for a uniquely entertaining event. Get your tickets now by clicking the link
Sunday Tea with Mae West: Credit Card & PayPal
Or, purchase at Visitor Center kiosk: Cash or credit card
Ticket Choices: Please Support RIHS to the Extent You Can
Friend of Mae West: $45
Drinking Companion: $60, includes vintage tea cup memento
Co-Star: $100, includes tea cup plus Mae West biography “She AlwaysKnew How”
Producer: $150, includes tea cup, biography plus “The Essential DVDCollection of 9 Mae West Films” (eg, the seductive and witty “She Done Him Wrong” and “My Little Chickadee”)
Dec
16
January 17, 2019 Library Lecture :“Architectural Restoration”
“Architectural Restoration”
Architect Thomas Fenniman reviews his recent restoration projects.
Thursday, January 17
6:30 pm
Roosevelt Island Branch Library, 524 Main Street
Thomas A. Fenniman, Architect is an architectural firm specializing in the analysis and rehabilitation of existing buildings and the restoration of historic structures. With over 35 years experience working in NYC and the metropolitan area, Thomas has developed a special expertise in working with non-profit institutions and in the creative use of cost-effective designs and solutions with a commitment to quality. His firm has been recognized for excellence in historic restoration by numerous State and local agencies including The New York State Parks Department, The New York Landmarks Conservancy, Friends of the Upper Eastside, The Victorian Society of New York, and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. Notable projects include the interior restoration of The Church of Saint Francis Xavier, The façade restoration of The Players Club on Gramercy Park, the Langham at 135 Central Park West and the exterior restoration of the Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters. Thomas has a Bachelor of Architecture and Building Science degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and studied Architecture abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is a registered Architect in NY, NJ, CT and MA.
Projects completed on Roosevelt Island include the restoration of the Visitors Center Kiosk, The slate roof and narthex restoration of The Chapel of the Good Shepherd and a Condition Study of the Renwick Lighthouse at the northern tip of the Island.
All programs area free and open to the public.
For further information
e-mail: Rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com or 212 688-4836
Dec
3
Justin Van Poelvoorde, Long Time Librarian on Roosevelt Island, Passed Away
Link to the full article from Thursday, November 29, 2018; Roosevelt Islander Online
The long time New York Public Library Roosevelt Island branch librarian, passed away last Monday. According to a spokesperson from the NYPL:
Justin Van Poelvoorde served the Roosevelt Island community for over 14 years and throughout his time with the Library he was a dedicated and trusted colleague and friend. The Library was stunned by the news of his passing and we appreciate the community’s support as we grieve his loss and honor his memory.
Roosevelt Island Historical Society President (RIHS) Judy Berdy said:
Justin always worked with our RIHS programs. It is a sad loss. He arranged all our monthly lecture programs, from scheduling, obtaining permissions, setting up, dealing with the guests, computer and presentations and closing up after the programs ended. He was always accommodating and had a sharp sense of humor.
Justin had a distinctive style that was great with kids and adults. He never was too busy to help one out.
We will miss him greatly at our branch and in our community
Nov
30
December 6th Library Lecture – “Damnation Island”
Roosevelt Island Historical Society Program
Roosevelt Island Branch of the NY Public Library
Meet Stacy Horn, Author of “Damnation Island”
Thursday, December 6th, 2018
6:30 pm
Roosevelt Island Branch Library, 524 Main Street
On a two-mile stretch of land in New York’s East River, a 19th-century horror story was unfolding . . .
Today we call it Roosevelt Island. Then, it was Blackwell’s, site of a lunatic asylum, two prisons, an almshouse, and a number of hospitals. Conceived as the most modern, humane incarceration facility the world ever seen, Blackwell’s Island quickly became, in the words of a visiting Charles Dickens, “a lounging, listless madhouse.”
In the first contemporary investigative account of Blackwell’s, Stacy Horn tells this chilling narrative through the gripping voices of the island’s inhabitants, as well as the period’s officials, reformers, and journalists, including the celebrated Nellie Bly. Digging through city records, newspaper articles, and archival reports, Horn brings this forgotten history alive: there was terrible overcrowding; prisoners were enlisted to care for the insane; punishment was harsh and unfair; and treatment was nonexistent.
Throughout the book, we return to the extraordinary Reverend William Glenney French as he ministers to Blackwell’s residents, battles the bureaucratic mazes of the Department of Correction and a corrupt City Hall, testifies at salacious trials, and in his diary wonders about man’s inhumanity to man. In Damnation Island, Stacy Horn shows us how far we’ve come in caring for the least fortunate among us—and reminds us how much work still remain.
All programs area free and open to the public.
For further information e-mail: Rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com or 212 688-4836
Lecture Damnation Island at NYPL
Nov
7
Hidden Queens – Lecture – Thursday, November 8, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.
Hidden Queens
Lecture on Roosevelt Island
Beaches. Parks. Battlegrounds. Cemeteries. It’s all in Queens. Take an eclectic tour of the history, geography and citizenry of our neighbor borough and explore the mini-world that awaits you there. Richard Panchyk will share facts and insights from his book, Hidden History of Queens, at a lecture presented by the Roosevelt Island Historical Society at the New York Public Library Branch on Roosevelt Island, on Thursday, November 8, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.
The event is FREE and open to the public. It is the first in the Society’s annual series of fall lectures, which is supported by funds provided by Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s Public Purpose Fund and New York City Council Member Ben Kallos, with funding from the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.
DIRECTIONS: Take the Tram at 59th Street and Second Avenue or the F train to Roosevelt Island. Take the red bus (no charge) or walk eight minutes north to 524 Main Street.
The Roosevelt Island Historical Society promotes awareness of the Island’s unique story and pursues preservation of its landmarks and artifacts.
Nov
3
Roosevelt Island Historical Society Lecture Series—FREE
Roosevelt Island Historical Society Lecture Series—FREE
New York Public Library Branch
524 Main St., 6:30 pm
Thursday, November 8
“Hidden History of Queens”
Richard Panchyk talks about his new book on the secrets and surprises behind the borough’s
development.
Thursday, December 6
“Damnation Island”
A deep dive into 19th century Blackwell’s Island and its institutions, based on author Stacy
Horn’s new book.
Thursday, January 17
“Architectural Restoration”
Architect Thomas Fenniman reviews his recent restoration projects.
Thursday, February 7
“Eleanor Roosevelt”
Blanche Weisen Cooks discusses her new book (part 3 of a series) about our historic First Lady.