Randalls and Wards Islands

What is now Randalls and Wards Island was originally composed of Randalls Island to the north, Wards Island to the south, and Sunken Meadow just southeast of Randalls Island. The current Randalls and Wards Island came about when Little Hell Gate was partially infilled. Randalls and Wards Island has an area of about . The island is surrounded by Bronx Kill to the north, separating it from the Bronx; Harlem River to the west, separating it from Manhattan Island; and the Hell Gate channel of the East River to the south and east, separating it from Queens. The island had a population of 1,648 in 2010. A small island called Mill Rock exists south of Wards Island, while further south is Roosevelt Island. Prior to the removal of Hell Gate rocks in the mid-19th century, there were other large rock outcroppings in the East River near Wards Island. Randalls Island had some granite outcroppings and marshland. The southern part of the island was composed of low hills, while the northern two-thirds were higher and flatter. There were two isolated ponds on the northern part of the island. The southern part of the island was leveled, and the shoreline rebuilt, in the mid-19th century, though some meadows and swamps remained until the 1930s. Sunken Meadow Island To the east of Randalls Island was Sunken Meadow Island, Infilling took place beginning in the mid-1950s. The Sunken Meadow section of Randalls Island Park comprises and contains ball fields. Also east of Randalls Island was an even smaller island called the Hammock, which was subsumed through filling operations. By the 19th century, the southern end of Wards Island was known as Negro Point; the Negro Point name became official in 1984. Parks commissioner Henry Stern renamed Negro Point in 2001 upon learning of the name, which he thought was offensive. He changed the name to "Scylla Point" because it faced Charybdis Playground in Astoria Park, on the opposite shore of Hell Gate; these were named after the mythological monsters of Scylla and Charybdis on the Strait of Messina. There were other outcroppings around Wards Island. Little Hell Gate Little Hell Gate was originally a natural waterway separating Randalls Island and Wards Island. The east end of the waterway opened into the Hell Gate passage of the East River, opposite Astoria, Queens. The west end met the Harlem River across from East 116th Street, Manhattan. At the Hell Gate Bridge, the waterway was over 1000 feet (300 m) wide with swift currents. The opening of the Triborough Bridge spurred the conversion of both islands to parkland. Soon thereafter, the city began filling in most of the passage between the two islands, in order to expand and connect the two parks. The inlet was filled in by the 1960s. What is now called "Little Hell Gate Inlet" is the western end of what used to be Little Hell Gate; however, few traces of the eastern end of Little Hell Gate still remain: an indentation in the shoreline on the East River side indicates the former east entrance to that waterway. Today, parkland and part of the New York City Fire Department Academy occupy that area. ==History==

Lenape use According to archaeological digs, the area around Randalls and Wards Islands was settled by Paleo-Indians up to 12,000 years ago. The Lenape, a Native American people indigenous to New York City, called Wards Island The exact translation of the name is not known but has been interpreted as "forest", "wild land[s]", or "uninhabited place"; the name is derived from , the Munsee Delaware word for "the woods". or . Neither Randalls nor Wards Islands are known to have had any Lenape settlements. Just west of Randalls Island was a village called ("little narrow tract") on Manhattan Island, while to the north of Randalls Island was the village of in the Bronx. There was another settlement, , on Manhattan Island southwest of the two islands as late as 1669. At the time of European contact in the early 17th century, there were 900 Wecquaesgeek Lenape living in what is now Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, and lower Westchester County. The islands became part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, and Dutch colonists ultimately forced the Wecquaesgeek off Manhattan by the late 17th century. 17th through early 19th centuries Between the 1630s and the 1770s, the islands had various European residents. At the time, the islands were several miles from the boundaries of New York City, which then occupied modern-day Lower Manhattan. The islands had the same owners in the 17th century, but ownership was split during the 18th century. Van Twiller only used the islands for raising livestock. The names of Great and Little Barent Islands were changed to Great and Little Barn after the British took over. and an early mayor of New York City, claimed ownership of both islands in January 1667 and formally took ownership in 1668. Toward the end of the 17th century, stones from Little Barn Island were quarried for the construction of Trinity Church in Manhattan's Financial District. Thomas Bohanna bought on the southern section Great Barn Island in 1767, Bohanna's portion of Great Barn Island was then resold in 1772 to Benjamin Hildreth, while John William Pinfold obtained the remainder of the island at that time. By then, Great Barn Island included an orchard, farms, pastures, and several buildings. and the isle gained the name Talbot's Island. he surveyed the New York Harbor area for the British prior to the war. Following the Continental Army's defeat in the Battle of Long Island, the British took over both islands John Montresor's wife Frances worked at a hospital on Montresor's Island, and troops on that island became friendly with American troops in the modern-day South Bronx. Montresor's house there was burned in 1777. Montresor wrote in his diary that American soldiers had burned down his house, while the Americans maintained that the British had set the house aflame while retreating from what they believed was an imminent attack. Randel reportedly sold enough produce to pay for the island within a decade. William Lownds bought Great Barn Island's southern half from Benjamin Hildreth in 1785. Jasper Ward bought Lownds's land in 1806. His brother Bartholomew bought the remainder of Great Barn Island from John Molenaar, who in turn had acquired that land from Pinfold. selling off parcels to various people. Randel's name was misspelled in the ownership deed that was given to the city, and so the island became known as Randalls Island. The city government leased Wards Island in December 1847, initially erecting the State Emigrant Refuge and Hospital there before buying Wards Island outright. Maps from the 1850s show two hospital complexes on Randalls Island. Both islands also had potter's fields, or cemeteries for destitute people. They leased some land in 1848, then bought additional land on the island's western shore. The two-story State Emigrant Hospital and the three-story Refuge for Destitute Immigrants on Wards Island both opened in July 1866; its design was based on a plan by the social reformer Florence Nightingale. The main Emigrant Hospital could accommodate 400 or 450 patients After these structures opened, various other buildings were constructed, including a nursery, two chapels, doctors' residences, and barracks. following allegations that mentally ill emigrants were being mistreated. The western portion of Wards Island contained a smallpox hospital. The Commissioners of Public Charities and Correction bought additional land on Wards Island in 1852, though disputes over the purchase continued through the 1860s. Following the development of the New York State Inebriate Asylum in Binghamton, New York, a similar asylum was proposed on Wards Island in 1865. The three-story New York Inebriate Asylum on Wards Island opened in 1868 Veterans were housed in the Inebriate Asylum's eastern wing starting in 1869; they remained there until 1875. A third hospital on Wards Island, Manhattan State Hospital for the Insane, opened in 1871 and was located near the middle of the island. The structure was known as the Insane Asylum or the Male Lunatic Asylum, a men's asylum, by the early 1880s. In 1847 or 1848, the commissioners completed the Nurseries' first buildings on the northeastern shore. The Nurseries were used by non-criminal youth below age 17. An 1867 article described the complex as including a wooden storage building, boathouse, and a wide road leading to the nursery. At the time, the nursery department comprised eight buildings, while the nursery hospital comprised another five structures. The Children's Hospital was on the west side of the island. An 1880s map indicates that the Children's Hospital buildings included an infant hospital, insane asylum, and the Randalls Island Hospital from west to east. There was also the Idiot School, created in 1867 to serve mentally disabled children. Construction began in 1852, surrounded by a wall. The reformatory was supposed to provide religious classes, non-religious lessons, and manual employment. Potter's fields Prior to the 1840s, the city's potter's fields were located on Manhattan Island; the potter's fields had to be relocated every few years as the city developed. A proposal to relocate the potter's fields to Randalls Island was first put forth in 1835, but this did not happen immediately because of concerns that the potter's fields would be too close to the Randalls Island almshouse. A potter's field opened on Randalls Island in 1843, two years before the almshouse was completed. By the mid-1850s, The New York Times regarded the Randalls Island potter's field as "a disgrace to the city". The Corporation of New York thus began acquiring land for the Wards Island potter's field in 1851; which was completed by 1857. Other bodies were relocated from the Madison Square and Bryant Park graveyards, There were two separate clusters of mass graves, one each for Catholics and Protestants; burials in either cluster were overseen by a cleric from the respective denomination. By 1874, the corpses in the Wards Island potter's field were relocated to Hart Island in the Bronx. Two reservoirs were added to Wards Island by the late 1870s; maps indicate that the island remained largely unchanged until the end of the century, aside from new roads. By the early 1880s, control of Wards Island was split between the Commissioners of Emigration (which operated the State Emigrant Hospital and an attached asylum, nursery, and "houses of refuge") and the Commissioners of Public Charities and Correction (which operated institutions such as the Homeopathic Hospital and the Insane Asylum). During the 1880s, there were complaints over the mistreatment of people at Wards Island's Insane Asylum. In addition, there were concerns that the Wards Islands buildings were not fireproof, and the emigration commissioners demanded in 1885 that the charities and correction commissioners vacate one of the Wards Islands buildings. By 1887, overcrowding on Wards Island had compelled the charities and correction commissioners to develop another asylum on Long Island. There were proposals to turn over the state-owned Emigrant Hospital buildings on Wards Island to the city government. The Emigration Commission proposed selling the Emigrant Hospital property to the city for about $2 million in 1890. Despite objections to the abandonment of the Emigrant Hospital buildings, taking over 35 buildings on approximately . The Emigrant Hospital buildings became part of Wards Island's Insane Asylum, The Homeopathic Hospital relocated to Blackwell's (Roosevelt) Island in 1894, becoming the Metropolitan Hospital. The Manhattan State Hospital took over Wards Island's immigration and asylum buildings in 1896. and additional hospital buildings were proposed on Wards Island to relieve overcrowding. With 4,400 patients by 1899, the Manhattan State Hospital was the world's largest psychiatric hospital. Part of Wards Island was acquired for the construction of the Hell Gate Bridge, a railroad bridge between the Bronx and Queens; work on the bridge commenced in 1911. The Manhattan State Hospital unsuccessfully tried to prevent the construction of the span across Wards Island, and the bridge was completed in 1917. In addition, the state leased Wards Island from the city for 50 years beginning in 1914. The Mabon Building was erected south of the Wards Island asylum by the early 1920s. investigators blamed the fire on overcrowding and said the island's fire apparatus could not sufficiently protect the island's buildings. The city was studying the possibility of erecting a sewage disposal plant on the island by that year. By 1926, the Manhattan State Hospital had an estimated population of 7,000. Randalls Island changes In the mid-1870s, a seawall was built around Randalls Island, along with some docks, The city's Charities Department took over Randalls Island's schools from the Department of Education in 1888. Randalls Island was still home to sick children, orphans, juvenile delinquents, and mentally disabled children. The House of Refuge stopped accepting prisoners in 1897 because of unsanitary conditions, and there were reports of high infant mortality on the island, including an inflammatory editorial protest in the new Yiddish socialist newspaper, Forverts. New facilities were planned on Randalls Island in the late 1890s, including a steam plant, a nurses' home, and a playroom building. Randalls Island's industrial school burned down in 1900. The Infants' Hospital was combined with the Randalls Island Hospital and School in 1902, and the latter organization became Randalls Island Hospitals, Schools, and Asylum. Though the state passed legislation to allow the House of Refuge's relocation in 1904, the reformatory remained for three decades. as well as a plan for a new tuberculosis hospital on that island. On Wards Island, Manhattan State Hospital was facing overcrowding by the 1900s, and there were continuing concerns about the flammability of the buildings on Wards Island. The state agreed to sell its land on Randalls Island to the city in 1907, while the city concurrently planned to lease Wards Island to the state for a new psychiatric hospital. City government architect Raymond F. Almirall filed plans for a four-story nurses' home on Randalls Island the next year; that building opened in 1912. Part of the island was also used for the construction of the Hell Gate Bridge. The state government also began investigating conditions on the island in the mid-1910s, following allegations of mismanagement. The poor conditions prompted proposals to rebuild the 75 structures on Randalls Island, The city's public charities commissioner devised plans to rebuild the Children's Hospital and School in 1916, and work on the new buildings began the following year. During the late 1910s, a park on Randalls Island was again proposed, along with a home for mentally disabled women. In addition, the city's public charities department introduced reforms to the island's hospital, including hiring additional physicians and attendants. Mid-20th century to present 1930s Construction of a second bridge across the two islands—the Triborough (now RFK) Bridge, connecting Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx—began in 1929. The next year, the city's Sanitary Commission requested funding from the city's Board of Estimate for a new sewage treatment plant on Wards Island. The Board of Estimate approved $7.67 million for the sewage plant that October, and preliminary work began the next month; a groundbreaking ceremony for the treatment plant occurred in 1931. Plans for an administration building and several other structures on the northeast part of Wards Island were filed in 1931, and plans for a fertilizer building and storage building were filed the next year. Part of Wards Island, which had never been deeded to the city, was sold to Metropolitan-Columbia Stockholders Inc. in 1933; this land was later seized for the bridge. The construction of the Triborough Bridge required the demolition of buildings on both islands, and patients were sometimes moved to more crowded facilities. The House of Refuge's youth were relocated upstate, and the patients in the Children's Hospital were moved to Flushing, Queens. The first two phases of the sewage plant were finished in 1934. That April, in anticipation of the Triborough Bridge's completion, city parks commissioner Robert Moses announced that he would convert on Randalls Island to parkland. The park plans were announced in February 1935, and work began soon thereafter. Most of Randalls Island's 87 buildings were to be razed and replaced with various athletic facilities such as a stadium. The following year, Moses canceled his plan to convert Wards Island into a park due to difficulties in relocating the hospital. The Triborough Bridge formally opened in July 1936, and Randalls Island Park. and the sewage plant was finished that October. A low-level bridge between the islands opened the same year, replacing a ferry line from Manhattan to Wards Island. Plans to convert Wards Island into a park were revived in early 1938, when the state government agreed to close Manhattan State Hospital. The Works Progress Administration began developing the southern end of Wards Island that year, demolishing what was left of the Homeopathic Hospital. and a set of clay tennis courts opened on Randalls Island the same year. 1940s to 1960s Work on a restroom, field house, and five softball fields on Randalls Island began in 1941. To allow public access to the new fields, city officials wanted to build a causeway from Randalls Island to the Bronx. Wards Island Park was delayed during the 1940s, and Manhattan State Hospital remained open past 1943, despite having been ordered to shut down. The same year, the state announced that it would rebuild Manhattan State Hospital. The rest of Wards Island was to be converted into a park, and a new bridge would be built from Manhattan to Wards Island. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) also announced that it would build an overpass to the Bronx and infill Bronx Kill to make way for additional recreational fields on Randalls Island. The Wards Island Bridge opened in 1951, along with the recreational facilities on Wards Island. Initially, there was a playground, picnic grove, three softball fields, and three baseball fields on Wards Island. Though NYC Parks originally planned to expand the park onto Manhattan State Hospital's site, the city government ultimately decided to allow the state to keep operating Manhattan State Hospital. Two chapels were developed on the island in the mid-1950s. By the mid-1950s, Wards Island Park had few visitors. Whereas Randalls Island Park was easily accessible via car, Wards Island Park's only public access was via the footbridge (the span over Little Hell Gate span was for hospital visitors only). Sunken Meadow, which had been reserved for an expansion of the Wards Island sewage plant, was freed up for recreational uses when the city decided in the mid-1950s to build a treatment plant elsewhere. Three new buildings were erected for Manhattan State Hospital. The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority announced in 1962 that it would allow contractors to fill the eastern portion of Little Hell Gate and the northern corner of Randalls Island. Randalls and Wards Islands were conjoined by the late 1960s, allowing the construction of more recreational facilities on the filled land. A mental research laboratory on Wards Island was proposed in 1960. Wards Island Park remained underused, and The New York Times said in 1963 that the park was generally neglected and full of garbage. Work on a 200-bed hospital for mentally disabled children on Wards Island began in 1965, and New York governor Nelson Rockefeller announced a mental hospital complex on that island in 1967. A rehabilitation center at the base of the Manhattan State Hospital was built on the island in the late 1960s. A recreation area with ballfields and a fieldhouse was built on the former Sunken Meadow Island after the filling operation was complete; the recreation area opened in 1968. The city's parks commissioner also sought to designate both Randalls and Wards Islands as an area for large gatherings. 1970s to early 1990s A new running track was installed in Randalls Island's Downing Stadium in 1970 and again in 1979. Meanwhile, Wards Island's hospitals had been split into three units by the early 1970s, and robberies, rapes, and break-ins on the island were common. There were allegations of mismanagement at Wards Island's hospitals, and the drug-treatment facility there closed in 1971. A facility for severely mentally disabled patients on Wards Island opened in 1974 and closed three years later. During the decade, a training academy for the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) was built on the two islands, opening in 1975. The Manhattan State Hospital became the Manhattan Psychiatric Center in the late 1970s, and its population decreased by nearly 90 percent from 1926 to the late 20th century. A homeless shelter opened on Wards Island in 1980, following a court order. Known as the Charles H. Gay Homeless Shelter, the facility faced opposition from the outset and also became overcrowded; it was thus expanded in 1982. Downing Stadium was also renovated in the early 1980s, A maximum-security mental health facility was developed on the island in 1984. By the late 1980s, the Wards Island sewage treatment plant was operating over capacity, prompting city officials to announce an expansion of the plant. In addition, part of the Charles H. Gay Shelter was converted to a women's jail in 1989 to accommodate the increasing number of inmates in the city. A Newsday report from the late 1980s found the island's park to be relatively safe but also poorly maintained. The park was used by dozens of local schools at the time and had various baseball, rugby, tennis, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and cricket fields. as well as a facility to convert waste into sludge. NYC Parks also agreed in 1990 to allow the American Golf Corporation to develop and operate a 36-hole miniature golf course on Randalls Island, in addition to a driving range and batting cages. and the golf center opened the next year. The New York Riding Academy also had a horse stable on the island in the 1990s. The Randall's Island Sports Foundation (RISF) was founded in 1992 to maintain Randalls Island Park. The city devised plans to restore Downing Stadium, and by 1994 there were plans to spend $227 million on recreational facilities. In addition, there were fears that the presence of the Charles H. Gay Center and the Wards Island Bridge were contributing to increased crime in neighboring East Harlem. RISF presented proposals for a redevelopment of the two islands in 1995. Other developments took place on the islands in the mid- and late 1990s, including a renovation of a FDNY library a new homeless shelter, an expansion of the Randalls Island golf center, and additional sporting fields. In 1999, the New York City government proposed allowing a private development project on Randalls and Wards Island to raise money for a renovation of Randalls Island Park. By then, the island accommodated up to 50,000 people per day during the summer, accommodating various children's and adults' sports teams. Mid-2000s to present Icahn Stadium opened on Randalls Island in 2005, replacing the old Downing Stadium. A water park was approved on Randalls Island in 2006 but was canceled the next year over financing difficulties; the water park's investors later sued the city for mismanagement. In April 2006, the first section of a waterfront pathway opened on Randalls Island, and officials began restoring the Little Hell Gate wetlands. The salt marsh on Randalls and Wards Island was restored in the 2000s, and additional recreational fields were built on the island as well. The city government proposed allowing private schools to fund many of the new fields, which were expected to cost $70 million in total. In 2007, a group of 20 private schools agreed to pay the city government $52.4 million, in exchange for the exclusive use of two-thirds of the island's fields during weekday afternoons. This prompted a lawsuit from families of East Harlem public-school students, who were forced to share the remaining fields. and the private schools ended up receiving exclusive control over the fields for free. The George Rosenfeld Center for Recovery opened in September 2017 on Wards Island. Randall's Island Park received $950,000 in 2021 and another $22 million in 2022 for upgrades to Randalls and Wards Island's pathways. A short-lived migrant shelter opened at Randalls Island in 2022 One of the island's homeless shelters, the Clarke Thomas Mental Health Shelter, closed in 2022. Migrants began sleeping outside the Randalls Island migrant shelter following a series of violent crimes there, but the outdoor encampment was dismantled in August 2024. That October, the city government announced that the larger migrant shelter would close in February 2025. In September 2025, the Randall's Island Park Alliance began constructing a nature center for $6 million. == Parks and recreation ==

Randalls Island Park Randalls Island Park was created in 1936 The park is operated by the Randall's Island Park Alliance (RIPA), a 501(c)(3) organization. RIPA was founded in 1992 as the Randall Island Sports Foundation, The park has also hosted music concerts and festivals, including the Governors Ball Music Festival, Panorama Music Festival, Rock the Bells, Farm Aid, Underground Garage Festival, and Electric Zoo Festival. The park also hosts One Bite Pizza Festival by Dave Portnoy, an annual pizza festival organized by the production company Medium Rare. According to RIPA, in the 2010s, Randalls Island Park had 30 to 40 percent of Manhattan's baseball fields. The Sportime Randall's Island Tennis Center opened in 2009 and contains ten Har-Tru clay courts (all outdoors), five DecoTurf courts (five indoors and five outdoors), a fitness center, recreation room, and pro shop. The center houses the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. There are various recreational fields that are used by public and private schools. and connects with Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. The proposed Harlem River Greenway, which started construction in 2025, would connect Randalls Island with the Bronx's Van Cortlandt Park to the north. Stadiums The first stadium built on the island was Downing Stadium, It opened as the Randalls Island Stadium on July 12, 1936, Among Downing Stadium's notable events were the 1936 Olympic track-and-field trials, Over the years, the stadium also hosted track, football, and soccer games, though it hosted no major events from 1966 to 1991. Its other events had included the Lollapalooza music festival and the Gay Games. After the removal of almost of debris and fill, the freshwater wetland site was planted with native herbaceous, shrub, and tree species, such as switchgrass, aster, dogwood, and oak. A footbridge crosses the salt marsh as well. In 2012, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation approved a $1 million contract with Natural Currents Energy Services to generate renewable energy in the park. The project was expected to produce of solar, wind, and tidal energy to power the island's facilities. The project was planned to include a solar-powered marine research and information kiosk that would have been open to visitors of the island. ==Facilities==

and Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center (behind the spans of the Triborough Bridge), 2013 Hospitals and shelters Wards Island is home to the Manhattan Psychiatric Center and the Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center, both operated by the State Office of Mental Health. The Kirby Center houses some of New York state's violent mentally ill patients. The island also contains homeless shelters run by the New York City Department of Homeless Services. These include the Charles H. Gay Homeless Shelter, The George Rosenfeld Center for Recovery, operated by Odyssey House, opened in September 2017 on Wards Island. The treatment center includes a childcare center. In October 2022, amid a citywide migrant housing crisis caused by a large influx of migrants seeking asylum in the United States, the administration of mayor Eric Adams announced that the city government would open an shelter on Randalls Island. The shelter consisted of 500 beds for male migrants, but fewer than half of the beds were filled within two weeks of the shelter's opening. The Adams administration closed the migrant shelter in November 2022 due to a decrease in the number of new migrants. In August 2023, a migrant shelter for 3,000 people opened at Randalls Island after the number of asylum seekers traveling to the city increased sharply. Emergency services and utilities Fire and police facilities The New York State Police has a station on Wards Island, Troop NYC, which serves the New York City metropolitan area. The station also includes a barracks. The New York City Parks Enforcement Patrol operates a training academy on Randalls Island. NYC Parks' Five Borough Administrative Building is located on Randalls Island; that building complex contains a green roof. The New York City Police Department Street Crime Unit was headquartered on Randalls Island until it was disbanded in 1999. The New York City Fire Department operates a training academy on Randalls Island. The academy's facilities include classrooms, a water supply tank, a replica of a subway tunnel with tracks and two railcars, a training course for engine drivers, a helicopter pad, a replica ship, and multiple buildings. The streets in the academy are named in honor of several firefighters who died while on duty. The fire academy is also used by film and TV series directors who conduct shoots there. The plant originally occupied on Wards Island's northeast corner , the modern plant has a capacity of per day. The city planned to install 7 megawatts of solar power at the plant as of 2021. The treatment plant receives sewage from two "grit chambers", one each in Manhattan and the Bronx, which filter out debris before the sewage reaches the plant. The Bronx chamber is a New York City designated landmark. == Transportation ==

Road and rail bridges (then known as the Triborough Bridge) at the left, and the Hell Gate Bridge (right). Also visible in the distance is the 103rd Street Footbridge to Manhattan. A rail bridge between Queens and the Bronx, via Randalls Islands, was first planned in the late 19th century to link the tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New Haven Railroad. This became the Hell Gate Bridge, which was dedicated March 9, 1917. The bridge also includes an inverted bowstring truss section, with four long spans, across Little Hell Gate. The Triborough Bridge opened on July 11, 1936, providing a direct road connection from the then-separate islands to the rest of the city. The bridge consists of spans across the Harlem River, Hell Gate, and Bronx Kill, as well as a T-shaped viaduct that crosses the islands and connects the three spans. The bridge includes various pedestrian ramps connecting the islands with the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. In 2008, the Triborough Bridge was renamed after Robert F. Kennedy. The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority erected an art deco administration building, which still stands on the island. The M35 bus connects the islands to Manhattan. Despite efforts to save the bridge, it was demolished. though construction of the Wards Island Bridge did not begin until October 1949. Designed by Othmar Hermann Ammann and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the footbridge was originally known as the Harlem River Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge opened on May 18, 1951, and connects with FDR Drive and 103rd Street on Manhattan Island. A ground-level footbridge over the Bronx Kill was proposed in 2006; the footbridge, known as the Randalls Island Connector, ran under the Hell Gate Bridge. An agreement was reached in 2012, The Randalls Island Connector opened in November 2015. ==See also==