An Abandoned Mansion In NYC Raises Questions

The City Contemplated a Vast Array of Restoration Ideas of the Past

Several ideas were discussed regarding what the island could be used for over the years. The city ended its usage as a drug rehab in 1964, and left it abandoned, yet opened for a number of options. Mayor John Lidsay wanted to sell the island, while Mayor Ed Koch briefly considered opening a homeless shelter there.

In the 1990s, building a jail was also considered. It would have been an expansion of the nearby Rikers Island, but that was deemed too expensive to build and too expensive to maintain like all of the other ideas.