Octagon Tower

The Times’ Following Up column reported on Roosevelt Island’s Octagon Tower in yesterday’s paper, noting that work has finally begun to incorporate it into a new residential building:

In the 1830’s and 40’s, when Roosevelt Island in the East River was Blackwell’s Island, the New York City Lunatic Asylum was built there. It included a five-story, eight-sided stone structure called the Octagon Tower, which was rich with architectural features like a gracefully spiraling cast-iron interior staircase.

Metropolitan Hospital occupied the site in the 1890’s, remaining until the 1950’s, by which time the island was Welfare Island. The former asylum was later razed except for the Octagon Tower. The tower was to be preserved as part of the new residential community whose construction began in the 1970’s, on what had become Roosevelt Island.

But financing problems stalled the plan for the Octagon Tower, and it decayed perilously. It was finally stabilized in 2002. Last month, the biggest step to preserve it was taken: construction began on a new apartment development that is to incorporate a fully rehabilitated Octagon Tower.

The print version of the Times had a nice picture of the Tower with more of its former features intact. Here’s a picture of it from June:

See also: Roosevelt Island Big Map Pages