Sad Death Of The First Roosevelt Island Tram, 2010

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

Roosevelt Island Daily New

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 Out of date technology.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…

It’s quiet, and the lights are out. No glare messing up the view. This is November, 2009, the day after the Yankees won their last World series.

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.

Original Tram cabins collect dust under a parking garage. Giant gears that once propelled it are nearby, also discarded.

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

The New RIOC Passion for Self-Promotion Embarrasses Gretchen RobinsonFebruary 3, 2023
What Chief Counsel Gretchen Robinson did may not embarrass her, but it should. Fifth in a series of what look like Jobs Wanted ads, Robinson snags space on a website set up for… wait for
Motorgate Rate Increases, As Foolish As They Are UncaringFebruary 3, 2023
Sometimes, you run out of words. Describing RIOC’s heartless and thick-headed Motorgate rate increases backs us against the wall in frustration. Already grossly incompetent, management under Governor Kathy Hochul and CEO Seldom Seen Shelton J.
Racism on the Red Bus: Lost and Found or Left Behind?February 2, 2023
Racism on the Red Bus stunk its way onto an Octagon Red Bus yesterday, the first day of Black History Month. Found on a seat, it was either lost or – more likely – deliberately
As Secrets Spill, RIOC’s Plan for Sportspark Is Bad News, Really Bad NewsFebruary 2, 2023
Secrets spill like accidental leaks in the facade Governor Kathy Hochul and RIOC CEO Seldom Seen Shelton J. Haynes put up around Sportspark’s future. The disdain both have for Roosevelt Island sets the tone for
A Budding RIOC Bromance Softens the Sugary NarcissismFebruary 1, 2023
The RIOC bromance between President/CEO Seldom Seen Shelton J. Haynes and Akeem Jamal first blossomed as Haynes’s longtime friend, Altheria Jackson, was shown the door. Haynes was so taken with Jamal, he hired him at