The structure was built as part of the New York City Mental Health Hospital in 1841 and was incorporated into the
Metropolitan Hospital in 1894. The Octagon, as a Metropolitan Hospital building, closed in 1955, leaving the building abandoned. On March 16, 1972, despite its condition, it was added to the
National Register of Historic Places. The Octagon was the last remnant of the hospital, and after many years of decay and two fires, was close to ruin. In April 2006, after restoration, the renovated Octagon reopened as the lobby entrance to a pair of adjacent apartment buildings with 500 units in total.
Sustainability The new apartment complex uses both solar panels and
fuel cell installations. A 50 kW array of solar panels and a 400 kW fuel cell enable the building to generate more than 50% of its power. The fuel cell is a combined heat and power system that converts natural gas to electricity and heat via a combustion-free, electrochemical process. This system provides power and heat that meets the majority of the building's energy demand, and the efficiency it achieves is higher than the energy received from the power grid. Not only does the system provide more efficient energy usage, the heat from the process is also used for the building's space heating and domestic water requirements. Thus the Octagon is projected to reduce its
carbon emissions by 790 metric tons annually. The Octagon received the largest initial award of New York State Green Building Tax Credits and was recognized in the first New York City Green Buildings Competition with the "Green Apple Award" for leadership in applying
sustainable design principles to residential development. In 2006, a newly constructed residential building was built on the site, modeled on the original structure. It received
LEED Silver status from the
U.S. Green Building Council in 2008. 468 NEW-YORK CITY ASYLUM FOR THE INSANE (WOMAN) BLACKWELL'S ISLAND.jpg|The main building in 1893 Welfare Island Insane Asylum EAST SIDE HABS NY,31-WELFI,6-1.jpg|Rotunda as it appeared in 1970 INTERIOR, SECOND FLOOR, SPIRAL STAIRCASE AND CENTRAL STAIRWELL - Welfare Island, Insane Asylum, New York, New York County, NY HABS NY,31-WELFI,6-5.tif|Original interior stairway Welfare island insane asylum STAIRCASE HABS NY,31-WELFI,6-4.jpg|Original interior stairway, second floor Nellie Bly-Mad-House-11.png|As depicted in
Ten Days in a Mad-House The-octagon.jpg|Appearance in 2017 ==See also==