Death of the First Roosevelt Island Tram
Historic Preservation Failure
The first Roosevelt Island Tram made it’s last run across the East River, ten years ago this March. Its replacement is safer and more reliable, but discovered by tourists, it’s not as special.
By David Stone
The first Roosevelt Island Tram lifts off across the East River. Fine Art Photography Print by Deborah Julian ($28) © All rights reserved.
Breakdowns, one forcing high risk rescues, doomed the old Tram. Its big flaw? Out of date technology.
Built in 1976 as the original commuter tram in the U.S., it relied on an integrated pulley system. Cables linked the cabins. More importantly, both had to move at once. Partial shutdowns were impossible.
The answer? Full replacement, cabins, cables and all. That opened in 2010. RIOC crowded the maiden voyage across the East River with politicians eager for credit. A band played, but it wasn’t the same.
Take a ride with me in the final days of the first Roosevelt Island Tram…
In the decade since, the universe discovered the Tram. Safer, reliable service draws tourists, but we lost the intimacy of a ride home with neighbors.
After 33 years, the original Tram cabins went out of service as did the gears and cables they relied on. But what became of them?
RIOC preserved the historic relics.
But although RIOC invests millions in the permanently unusable Smallpox Hospital, the old cabins collect dust. And neglect in a cage behind the Motorgate atrium.
Proposals for reviving them has come from artists at RIVAA as well as the Roosevelt Island Historical Society. But RIOC has not budged, and nothing suggests a change.
RIOC’s priorities for preservation are baffling. Blackwell House closed, three years after restoration was announced. Ribbon cuttings also pushed back and no end in sight.
The Smallpox Hospital, treasured for its links to James Renwick, is a money pit, and the Lighthouse is never quite finished.
The legacy Roosevelt Island Tram cabins? Just an embarrassment of neglect.
Also from the Roosevelt Island Daily News
- How Citywide Changes Affect Daily Life on Roosevelt IslandExplore how citywide changes affect daily life on Roosevelt Island, from transit decisions to new schools and how local stories ripple across our routines.
- Queens News Roundup: Public Safety, May Day, and Summer Music Reach Roosevelt IslandCatch up with our Queens news roundup, including public safety updates, labor actions, and summer music events making an impact on Roosevelt Island this week.
- How Citywide Changes Shape Daily Life on Roosevelt IslandDiscover how citywide changes shape daily life on Roosevelt Island, from policy shifts to community safety, events, and local routines.
- How Queens News Impacts Daily Life on Roosevelt IslandHow Queens news impacts daily life on Roosevelt Island, from public safety updates to neighborhood festivals and health care developments. Discover the ripple effects of our neighboring borough.
- This Week’s Roosevelt Island Community Updates Beyond the TramDiscover this week’s Roosevelt Island community updates beyond the tram, from public safety and hospital news to festival highlights and neighborly stories.
AVAC Is Working. The Model Is What’s Aging.
Roosevelt Island’s AVAC system is often discussed as if it were either a miracle or a menace. In truth, it is neither. It is functioning infrastructure that has reached a point in its lifecycle where how it is maintained matters as much as whether it exists at all.
4 COMMENTS