What all is on Roosevelt Island?

You can explore historical buildings, visit wonderful parks like the FDR Four Freedoms Park and Lighthouse Park, historical buildings to visit like the Blackwell House and all sorts of interesting public art tucked here and there on the island.



Roosevelt Island is a 147-acre urban enclave in New York City's East River that functions as a self-contained residential community with unique landmarks. At the southern tip is the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park, a stunning architectural memorial designed by Louis Kahn. Nearby sit the haunting ruins of the Renwick Smallpox Hospital, the only landmarked ruin in the city. The island's "Main Street" features a mix of modernist apartment blocks, a local library, and small cafes. Towards the center is the massive Cornell Tech campus, representing a high-fidelity hub of innovation. Further north, you will find The Octagon, a former 19th-century mental health hospital that has been converted into a luxury, eco-friendly residential building. The northern tip is anchored by the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse, built in 1872. Accessible via the iconic red aerial tramway from Manhattan, the island offers a "car-free" feel with scenic waterfront promenades that provide some of the best panoramic views of the Midtown skyline and the United Nations headquarters.

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Blackwell's Island, now known as Roosevelt Island, has a deep connection to disability and incarceration. For much of the early 1900s, New Yorkers nicknamed the island Welfare Island after the asylums, prisons, and almshouses that were built there.

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Roosevelt Island is a neighborhood in New York City, New York with a population of 4,510. Roosevelt Island is in New York County and is one of the best places to live in New York. Living in Roosevelt Island offers residents a dense urban feel and most residents rent their homes.

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No one had built neighborhoods there before, so there were no racial or ethnic enclaves (yet), and every unit on the island was rented or sold through affordable-housing programs designed for low- and middle-income New Yorkers.

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The island is only 2 miles (3.2 km) long and very walkable. From the south to the north, it's the equivalent of 35 city blocks. Touring the Island will take about 3 hours. It's best to go when the weather is pleasant as all the sights are outdoors.

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  1. Bus.
  2. Tram.
  3. Subway.
  4. Ferry.
  5. Driving.
  6. MTA 63rd Street Track Replacement Project.


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The views of Manhattan and Brooklyn are the best and walk to the southern part of the island to enjoy the best views. Not just of the skylines but of the small islands that are just south of Roosevelt Island. The best is the tram ride over on a sunny day. This is when you see the best views of the city.

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It travels a distance of 3,140 feet at a speed of up to 17 miles per hour in less than three (3) minutes. It rises to a maximum height of 230 feet and can carry a maximum of 109 passengers plus an attendant per cabin. The system annually transports more than two million passengers.

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While still a part of Manhattan, Roosevelt Island is its opposite: quiet, homely, and mostly green-colored.

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The Roosevelt Island Tramway provides the most modern aerial tramway in the world, running every 7-15 minutes from 59th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan to Tramway Plaza on Roosevelt Island.

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You can drive to Roosevelt Island via the Roosevelt Island Bridge, which can be accessed at 36th Avenue and Vernon Boulevard in Queens.

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  • Roosevelt Island is two miles long and located on the East River between Manhattan and Queens.
  • It was formally known as Blackwell's Island and Welfare Island.
  • The F line train station on Roosevelt Island opened in 1989.
  • The island can also be reached by the Roosevelt Island Tramway, the ferry and by bridge from Queens.


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It's about 4 miles around the perimeter, with parks on each end. To access the island by foot you have to cross the Queensboro Bridge over the island to Queens and then double back — about 1.6 miles. More direct access is via tram or subway.

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Metered parking is in effect from 7 AM to 7 PM, Monday through Saturday on Roosevelt Island. Meters are not in effect on Sundays and Major Legal Holidays. Roosevelt Island residents can now park their cars overnight for free in any of the islands' street parking slots.

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An affordable housing lottery at Roosevelt Island's Riverwalk Park offers 313 new units to qualified applicants.

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From Manhattan, you can take the Roosevelt Island Tramway, located at East 59th Street and Second Avenue, for $2.75 one way. If you're coming from Queens, you can drive or walk onto the island via the Roosevelt Island Bridge, or take the Q102 bus line.

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Theodore Roosevelt Island is open year-round from 6 am to 10 pm.

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