Roosevelt Island’s secret front yard wasn’t built for hiding, but history made it that way. As a result, it’s easy to miss as it slopes toward the East River.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
The View: Roosevelt Island’s Secret Front Yard
Near the end of the 18th Century, the Blackwell family built their farmhouse on an isolated island. In front was a downhill slope and, across the then pristine East River, Ravenswood, which became a burgeoning city’s early suburb.
Two-hundred years later, developing Roosevelt Island, planners plotted Main Street straight down the middle, passing the Blackwell House’s rear door. In some ways, it was fortunate because it made room for this beautiful autumn scene – from the community’s secret front yard.
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A Different Kind of Bet
For years, Roosevelt Island did not behave like a system constrained by limits. Internally, the budget was often treated less as a boundary and more as a reservoir to be used.
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