© 2026 Roosevelt Island
Historical Society
Apr
19
S P E A K E R :
M e l i n d a H u n t
Over the last few years, Melinda and the Hart Island Project have brought the plight of Hart Island’s deteriorating condition to the public and opened the conversation to make the Island a public park.
Apr
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Our friend and neighbor Ursula Beau-Seigneur passed away March 27th, 2019. Ursula was active in the RIHS for many years. She was a writer and editor of our book “Images of America-Roosevelt Island” in 2003 and the author of the text for our maps of the Island. Quietly, Ursula was a perfectionist and great contributor to our efforts. She was our treasurer and important contributor to our programs and efforts. She would gladly sit at our table at community events and discuss the Society with visitors. Ursula worked for over 25 years at Goldwater Memorial Hospital as the Librarian in the Patient’s Library. She ran writing, poetry, arts Below and many programs for the residents there. Her knowledge of the patrons of the library was great and she went out of her way to accommodate their wishes. As Goldwater closed she transferred to the Coler campus. She reactivated a dormant library into a warm welcoming place for reading, watching videos, using the assistance devices. She retired many years after she needed to. Ursula and I would share dinners and talks of her life, family and many adventures. The last few years she enjoyed the art classes at the Carter Burden Senior Center and showed us her talents in painting. The attached photo is one of her with the painting she completed in the class. Ursula is survived by her brother Dennis Kehoe and family, in California. A memorial service will be scheduled after Easter.
Mar
10
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 8 T H
S P E A K E R :
J u d i t h B e r d y , P r e s i d e n t o f R I H S
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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.
e-mail: Rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com or 212 688-4836
Dec
3
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
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.
For further information e-mail: Rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com or 212 688-4836
Lecture Damnation Island at NYPL
