Roosevelt Island: an Island Place

[mentax007]

Да, многое поменялось на Рузвельте за последние 30 лет... Каждый день там хожу 2 раза в день =) Незабываемо...

[thenglennsaid]

Wonderful. I am moving from Venice Beach, CA to NYC and this already feels like where I will find myself in NYC.

[vidYOfan]

I wanted to post but I forgot this is twitter lite.

[vvtrain]

I would like to know from you long time residents, who patroled the island? On wikipedia it say Public safety came in 1985, but hat between 1981-1985 it was NYS Dept of housing and community renual Police and they were armed?, It also says between 1975-1981 Rosevelt island Police department where on the island? If anyone can sort this out please respond.

[vidYOfan]

@vvtrain As far as I can remember (I lived on RI from 1977-1988) the "security police" was either a private contract service ("rent a cops) then later a semi-public service formed by DHCR which had limited powers and had to call NYPD for serious incidents as backup.

[vvtrain]

@vidYOfan Thanks,I heard that the security police had guns,and NYPD style uniforms, DHCR had guns too and wore state trooper style uniform or nypd not sure? i know its a long time ago but i wonder if you remember there uniform types.RIOC security was formed in 1985 when RIOC took Over, but in 1987 it became RIOC Public safety and red jeeps..

[vidYOfan]

@vvtrain As far as I can remember (I lived on RI from 1977-1988) the "security police" was either a private contract service ("rent a cops) then later a semi-public service formed by DHCR which had limited powers and had to call NYPD for serious incidents as backup. Safety on the island was not as much of an issue prior to the subway opening up although there were periodic incidents of vandalism or muggings by teens from LIC area and stolen cars brought to the Motorgate garage to be stripped!

[Laaaaaawlz]

Lived here as a baby for two years; Roosevelt Island is my home island. I love the peace, quiet, and how safe it is. I enjoyed walking up and down the entire island, looking at all the playgrounds, baseball fields, apartment buildings, going into its many shops and restaurants, the hospital, Lighthouse Park, the Octagon, the views of East Manhattan... and it's a really beautiful place to take a special someone, especially if you have a past connection to this place.

[bellydweller]

I was 3 living on the island when this was made. It brought back a lot of memories. Thank you for posting.

I do wish it showed more of what's been lost but I guess that's the part of the Island the filmmaker intended not to show. Everything from motorgate north was unsettled, except for a small church which is still there. I had a garden where manhattan park now stands. I miss the old ruins. That was the dark part of Roosevelt Is. that reminded everyone of what the Island used to be.

[bellydweller]

a home for nyc's most undesirable people

[Mamasan41]

Thank you!!!! Felt like I went on a vacation!!

[sgrroiii]

Where's Terry ?

[justins7]

Wow, this is amazing. I was nine when this was made, and I grew up there. I am sure I am one of those kids in the film, probably in the little league scenes. I remember every single spot in this film. Thanks for posting this!

[jbr020]

i'm 20 years old (in college now) but was born and raised on the island and still spen my summers there. i can definitively say this, it is now if not the most then very close to the most diverse place in new york. there is literally a little bit of everything. there are still two major hospitals at each end so there are still many disabled people including some who are staples in the community.

[jbr020]

unfortunately i will say that with the expansion of population, now apporaching 20,000 i beleive the island has lost a good part of that community feel and there are the beginnings of tention between the most lower-middle class older buildings and the expensive new co-ops,

[jbr020]

the new buildings were sold to the old community by saying an influx of new people would revitalize the community, this has not happened the new people simply do everything in manhattan and only come to the island to sleep. all that being said i still beleive it is one of the most unique places in new york and the best place to grow up.

[chilldude567]

LOL the buses used to look like that i wouldve never guessed i like it here on the island its peacefull great place just to hand wit friends nice community

[bobbybabcock]

Wow. That's a blast. way back when the electric buses were still in service.

[WrapperFashion]

Brings back memories for me! I grew up there. 40ish now and still have relatives over there. As far as diversity back in the day, we had lots of it! My husband saw my 6th grade RI picture (circa 1980) and said it looked like I went to a school of all nations! I LOVE it!!

[mynameis2cool4u]

i moved away from the isalnd i missed it so much i would kill to just go back there i will never forgive my parents for that never

[vidYOfan]

Yeah those WERE the days of the "pioneers". The only problem was a lack of ethnic diversity (few Asians & Hispanics) Many of the people shown on Main st. are very familiar to me from long ago.

I remember living on the island during the blackout of 1977 flashlights moving along like fireflies up & down the hallways & ConEd's tall stacks billowing black smoke while firemen carried wheelchair people down Eastwood's fire stairs!

Boy I wish I had had at least a still camera that night!

[vvtrain]

@vidYOfan Was there public safety on the island then or another dept?

[slikness1]

roosevelt island changed a whole lot, i lived there all my life and i still do. All these new rich expensive bulidings are being built and new rich ppl r coming over. The TRUE Roosevelt island is the middle of it where it all started

[bonita2079]

I need to check out Roosevelt Island. I wish I was raised over there instead of raised in the Bronx (I still live here too can't wait to move out). It looks like a nice place. I gotta check it out this weekend. I'm taking the Tram there too. Nice video I loved it! :D

[Kennet1000]

You said, there is a good place vor middle-class people? In Germany there's no place like roosevelt island, because the heaviest slums in Germany looks 1000times nicer than this place. uuuurrrrrrrhhhhhhhh

[Kennet1000]

Horror - like all cities and towns in the USA. Criminals, slums, ugly highrise-buildings! NO Wall Street-Richpeoples and slums - this is USA! There is no culture!

[victorwasright]

they should have limited the population to 5000 in the 80's, built a giant dome over everything, and prevented new construction. instead they took the japanese approach and now it is becoming another starrett city. does the island really need FOUR new big apartment buildings? is getting rid of the tram REALLY a good idea? what's that, you didn't know they're planning to stop using the tram? LOL.

[ugabrew]

Nice video. I frequently walk alongside the east river on the Manhattan side and watch the people doing the same on Roosevelt island. I think I'll take the tram over there soon to check it out.

[childsoul]

Brings back a lot of memories. Thanks!!!

[rcortell1]

Thank you for taking the time to comment on this little film. I am delighted that it brings fond memories to people who view it.

Sincerely,

Richard Cortell

[Mamasan41]

@rcortell1 You are welcome!! Just learned about this island today, so glad to see these videos about it on YouTube!

[tools2retire]

Thanks for the memories. We lived on Roosevelt Island from about 1977 -- 1982. Your film was exactly the way I remembered it. I had a fun time as kid on those playgrounds. Regarding the priest's comment "worrying about someone sticking a needle in them," was it Father McCarthy? He taught me how to play chess and was a good man to our family.

[luciditynow]

I lived on the island for a year. Not much has changed since 1980. I love the guy who says children can play without worrying about someone sticking a needle in them. Very true.

[rcortell1]

Dear Visitor,

Thanks for taking the time to write. I am pleased with your reaction. The man who made the comment you refer to was the parish priest at the Chapel of the Good Shepard. The interview was recorded in the basement of the chapel, hence the echo effect.

[poyklr]

What was the original purpose of the film, just out of curiosity?

[rcortell1]

This was my graduate thesis project when I was working on my masters degree at NYIT.

[alcphoto]

very entertaining

[RooseveltIsland360]

Just great stuff. I love it.

[rcortell1]

Glad you like it. Is there any particular part you really like? What is your interest in RI?

Sincerely,

Richard Cortell

[RooseveltIsland360]

I like the buses and the street scenes. As a resident of Roosevelt Island the evolution of the playgrounds are of interest to me especially as a parent with young kids. I also write / publish a blog about Roosevelt Island.

[rcortell1]

I visited your blog; it's very good.

At the time I made the film I interviewed Philip Johnson, the architect of RI. His original design was that the community was to be like the deck of a large ship floating in the East River. He told me that many of the nautical motifs he included in the original design were omitted from the final product for financial reasons.

[clubpenguin777]

You have dedication, Rooseveltisland360! Is your blog/YouTube your full time job? It looks an amazing island, would love to visit.