The preserved ruins of the Smallpox Hospital can be found in the southern part of Roosevelt Island in New York. The hospital was founded in 1856 to fight the outbreaks of smallpox still threatening the city despite the availability of Jenner’s vaccination. In 1875, the hospital became a training center for nurses in connection with the City Hospital, later renamed Charity Hospital. In the 1950s, both Charity Hospital and the nurses school were closed, and their operations moved to new buildings in Queens1.
In 1972, the remains of the building were placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Photos by Camilla D’Angelo (September 2023)
- Locate the item on this Google Map