Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Renwick Ruin Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Renwick Ruin

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Phil H.

    A haunting monument to a sad era the smallpox hospital ruins are a constant reminder of a time this disease killed many. It on the list of registered historic places here in NYC. Located at the southern tip of Roosevelt Island by the entrance to Four Freedoms Park it's surrounded by a fence so there are no tours as it's dilapidated and in disrepair. Worth a visit if on the island to read the placards on the fence and learn some history of the hospital, President Roosevelt, and the park.

    Denise W.

    Renwick Ruins is located on Roosevelt Island in New York City. Unfortunately, you can only check out the Ruin from far away behind the gate/fences. The ruin is unsafe and could collapse anytime. It is a mark of history. It is also called the smallpox hospital. In the past, this was the smallpox hospital that kept patients away from everyone else. It doesn't cost anything to check out the Renwick Ruin. It is about 15 mins walk from the Roosevelt Subway Station. This is a tourist site. I highly recommend checking it out if you have never been. You can also check out the Four Freedom Park which is located 5 mins walk away.

    The Front
    Steve A.

    A lot of history is in this old building. In these ruins is an interesting story that you can read about here. Renwick Ruin was a smallpox hospital when it was open. Even though you can't go inside, it's possible to get close. There's information located on the outside fence that explains the history of the hospital and smallpox. By the looks of it, it seemed like a small hospital. It was operated in the 1800s so it probably seemed big then. The place almost looks like a castle, and it looks like it would be fun to go through. It's too bad you can't. The ruins aren't safe anymore and they closed it to the public. Some information is located on the outside fence. The hospital opened in 1852 as the Renwick Small Pox Hospital. It operated a few years until smallpox was largely eradicated. The ruins were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, by which time it was no longer sound structurally. It remains closed to the public. There remains efforts to make it accessible though. It can only be accessed when the park is open, so make sure before you go. It's beyond a guarded gate in South Point Park. There's an MTA station a couple miles away, and it can be reached by busses, and bike trails.

    Old smallpox hospital
    Amanda B.

    The Renwick Ruin AKA the old small pox hospital (and even later, a nurse training facility) is located at the southern end of Roosevelt Island (less than a 10 minute walk from the tram drop-off point). It's on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as being a NY City Landmark (the only ruin with this status!). Currently, you're not able to go inside as it's not structurally sound and there is a fence which surrounds it. Even so, a place for some really cool pictures and historical perspective. Most exciting is that the signage outside of fence indicates that there are talks to consider some additional renovations and possibly open it to the public in some capacity (keep your fingers crossed!!). It's also just outside where you enter the FDR Four Freedoms Park so it's definitely worth the walk to the southern end of the island. I'd recommend walking along the trail from the tram, grabbing some pics of the midtown manhattan skyline along the way, and then checking out the Renwick Ruins before hitting up the FDR park at the very southern point of the island. In the summer months, there's also a food truck just behind it where you can grab a drink or lunch. The perfect stop for any ghost-hunting, architecture-loving, history and/or photography buffs!

    The Smallpox Hospital, also known as Renwick Ruin, built between 1854-1856
    Paul L.

    This was my first visit to Roosevelt Island since I left NYC and the southern part of Roosevelt has changed dramatically with the installation of Franklin Roosevelt Park. These ruins used to be the only reason to visit the southern island. I'm glad to see them still standing and being considered for long-term development/reuse.

    Dewan A.

    Excellent place. 1) Renwick Ruin are the remains of small pox hospital. 2) It was used between 1854-1856. 3) Excellent Roosevelt island landmark.

    Recent paving, scaffolding and fencing have "despookified" the building considerably.
    Marjorie W.

    I came to Roosevelt Island just to see this place (thinking to myself, "spooky haunted house adventure!" "take spooky photos!"), and would recommend skipping it for now. As I mentioned in another review, the hospital is now neatly fenced up and scaffolded as part of restoration work. It is also right at the entrance to the Four Freedoms park. So if you're looking for an eerie lonesome experience, I think the time for it has passed. It looks like they're attempting to open the site to the public eventually, so maybe once it's finished and you're allowed to go inside it, it will be more of a draw again.

    See all

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 10
    Thanks 2
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Bruce K.
    2415
    26022
    76595

    5 years ago

    Helpful 21
    Thanks 0
    Love this 19
    Oh no 1

    5 years ago

    Helpful 9
    Thanks 0
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Steve A.
    4749
    5576
    8499

    6 years ago

    Helpful 22
    Thanks 0
    Love this 18
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Paul L.
    296
    1237
    28734

    11 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dewan A.
    762
    2157
    2469

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sadri B.
    5000
    4995
    500

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kim N.
    3265
    10482
    134334

    18 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Pretty cool. Fun to get to the island via the iconic Roosevelt Tram.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Renwick Ruin

    Review Highlights - Renwick Ruin

    In the weird strip of land that is Roosevelt Island is this very cool historical site which is the Renwick Ruins.

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Landmarks & Historical Buildings 6,424 times last month within 5 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Bowery Savings Bank Building

    Bowery Savings Bank Building

    5.0(3 reviews)
    1.5 kmMidtown East, Murray Hill

    Tour historic buildings and designated landmarks of New York. Bowery Savings Bank building is one…read moreof many historic. Any history buff or avid amateur architecture enthusiasts would have a full appreciation and admiration of this stone building as old world architectural craft is no longer in use. This building still stands with the passage of time and nature's elements. The correct location of Bowery Savings Bank Building is in Chinatown, Lower Manhattan- NOT Midtown East, Murray Hill. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=132531

    You might find a few Bowery Bums in the doorway of the Bowery Savings Bank Building, but it's New…read moreYork, and more to the point it's the USA, and that goes with the territory. This building is very special to me because when I needed to get my citizenship it was here that my awesome lawyer (whose office is in the upper reaches of this magnificent building) helped me through the process and got me over the line - and I will always be grateful for that. He's David Gottfried of Gottfried & Gottfried, by the way. I would recommend him to anyone as the perfect immigration lawyer for my situation and I wish nothing but the best for him. As for the building it's a typical old rustic early 20th century New York stunner, and it seems haunted. They do make you go through a security check to get up inside here but then so does Barbie with her clients.

    Photos
    Bowery Savings Bank Building - Exterior

    Exterior

    Bowery Savings Bank Building - Lil Bowery Wow

    Lil Bowery Wow

    Bowery Savings Bank Building

    See all

    Van Gogh's Ear - Van Gogh's Ear, a public art sculpture by Elmgreen & Dragset

    Van Gogh's Ear

    5.0(3 reviews)
    1.7 kmMidtown East, Midtown West

    Don't look for this work of art. It's not there. If you were lucky enough to see it, write a…read morereview. It's pretty cool if you stare and stare. Then all of a sudden you realize what you're looking at! My photos are from April 14, 2016. It was a beautiful Spring Day. I am enjoying reminiciing about today during the Arctic Blast!

    "Van Gogh's Ear", a public art sculpture by Elmgreen & Dragset, is in place at 30 Rockefeller…read morePlaza, right across the street from the entrance to Sak's 5th Ave. The sculpture, by the same duo that brought us the Prada Marfa Store in the middle of the Texas desert, is a tribute to the ready-made style of Marcel Duchamp. The sculpture is a 30 foot tall swimming pool, taken out of its normal context and displayed in its side with a diving board built in at the top. One of my favorite elements are the working lights on the inside left and right of the pool sculpture. Being that it's out of context - a recreational object in the middle of a commercial center - it creates a sense of longing and desire for recreation over industry and gives you an off-kilter feeling (why am I going to work when I could be swimming!). Overall a great piece of colorful public art at placed I a great spot for the perfect season. The piece is on display from April 13th though June 3rd, 2016. Catch it while you can!

    Photos
    Van Gogh's Ear - The sign for Elmgreen & Dragset's piece "Van Gogh's Ear"

    The sign for Elmgreen & Dragset's piece "Van Gogh's Ear"

    Van Gogh's Ear - Van Gogh's Ear beautifully backlit by NYC last night.

    Van Gogh's Ear beautifully backlit by NYC last night.

    Van Gogh's Ear - They removed the street-side barricades.

    See all

    They removed the street-side barricades.

    Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Plaque

    Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Plaque

    5.0(1 review)
    1.5 kmMidtown East

    "Don't know much about history Don't know much biology…read moreDon't know much about a science book Don't know much about the French I took" (Sam Cooke) I guess you can call me a history nerd. After all, I did major in history and rarely walk past a plaque or memorial or marker that I don't stop to read and more than likely Yelp. So when we were walking out to the street from Grand Central Station's Park Avenue/East 42nd Street entry and saw a wall plaque with the portrait of a familiar woman, I just had to stop and check it out. The portrait was of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Those of my generation will always remember the traumatic and terribly sad photographs of her from Dallas on November 22, 1963 with her pink pill box hat and her blood splattered pink dress. Twelve years after JFK's assassination the former First lady was engaged in a high stakes 1975 battle to save one of her hometown's iconic landmarks. At issue was a plan to take the wrecking ball to New York City's Grand Station Terminal and demolish it, just as Penn Station has been demolished and rebuilt in 1964. She became outraged when she learned of the plan and led a coalition of New Yorkers and the the Municipal Art Society to stop it. She was the star of a famous press conference from Grand Central and declared "If we don't care about our past we can't have very much hope for our future, we've all heard that it's too late, or that it has to happen, that it's inevitable. But I don't think that's true. Because I think if there is a great effort, even if it's the eleventh hour, then you can succeed and I know that's what we'll do." She also wrote an eloquent letter to NYC 's Mayor Beame and asked him "...is it not cruel to let our city die by degrees, stripped of all her proud moments, until there is nothing left of all her history and beauty to inspire our children? If they are not inspired by the past of our city, where will they find the strength to fight for her future? Americans care about their past, but for short term gain they ignore it and tear down everything that matters..." The plaque was dedicated on June 24, 2014 to mark renovations to the station's main entrance. The renovations honor her legacy with photographs, a video display, and the plaque. The entry itself was renamed "The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Foyer".

    Photos
    Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Plaque

    See all

    Empire State Building - Photo opportunity with King Kong himself

    Empire State Building

    4.0(2.4k reviews)
    2.2 kmKoreatown, Midtown West

    Wow! What an amazing and immersive experience! The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco…read moreskyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, famous for its iconic design, rapid construction, and its status as the world's tallest building for nearly 40 years. My wife was a bit reluctant to go on this tour (she's scared of heights, obviously), but somehow I managed to convince her (with my charm of course). And she was so happy I did. The Empire State Building remains a defining global symbol of New York City. Its total height reaches 1,454 feet (now that's tall). I'd be lying if I didn't say that was a bit intimidating. But when we got to the 86th floor (observation deck), there was an apparent stillness and quietness in the air. Kind of peaceful! Looking down from above, everything seemed minuscule- like the world below us was built with little tiny Legos. It truly was quite the experience!

    Monday 6th July 2026 Rainy cool 65°F…read more Midtown East, NYC Fun fact: Did you know that the Empire State building was built in 1931, but did not become fully occupied with tenants until 1956? The Empire State building was called the "Empty State" building in its early years and did not become profitable until the 1950s. The year 1931, the country was going through a major Depression era after the stock market crashed in 1929. However, in the 1950s, after WWII, the economy skyrocketed and the tallest NYC building became quite successful and a popular tourist attraction. It remained the tallest skyscraper in New York City until 1973, when the Twin Towers were built in lower Manhattan. Thank you for reading, and have a great day!

    Photos
    Empire State Building - King Kong poster

    King Kong poster

    Empire State Building - Ahhhh godzilla got me

    Ahhhh godzilla got me

    Empire State Building - Empire State Building image 2023

    See all

    Empire State Building image 2023

    Renwick Ruin - landmarks - Updated July 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...