Roosevelt Island is a narrow stretch of land situated in New York City’s East River, running parallel between Manhattan and Queens for nearly two miles (or 39 city blocks). On the northern end of this slender isle, at 888 Main Street, stands The Octagon.
A bold, five-story rotunda, The Octagon was originally built in 1834 out of blue-grey stone quarried from the island itself. Today, it is the lobby of a high-end apartment complex. But long before New Yorkers enjoyed living comfortably in this sustainable residential community, The Octagon served as the main entrance to the New York City Municipal Lunatic Asylum.
The Asylum operated from 1839 to 1894 on the island – a seemingly perfect location for the clinically insane, so close to Manhattan yet completely isolated from the city itself. Out of sight and out of mind, the facilities operated without much formal supervision or funding.
In 1887, a young journalist named Nellie Bly infiltrated the Asylum under the guise of insanity to write a chilling exposé titled, “Ten Days in a Mad-House.” Bly found sadistic orderlies, oblivious doctors, inedible food, and fellow patients who showed no signs of mental illness, admitted wrongfully with no hope of release. She wrote, “The insane asylum… is a human rat-trap. It is easy to get in, but once there it is impossible to get out.”
Bly’s powerful account brought great attention to the Asylum and incited actual change. Her story invited state officials to inspect and improve the abysmal conditions per her recommendations. In the end, her piece prompted the city to allocate an annual addition of $1,000,000 to the Department of Public Charities and Corrections, paving the way for structural change in how America treated mental health.
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Sources:
Photo courtesy of stu_spivack without change via Flickr (https://flic.kr/p/5shk1S)
http://www.rihs.us/landmarks/octagon.htm
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bly/madhouse/madhouse.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/roosevelt-island-rich-frightening-history-article-1.2418027
