Historical Note
City Hospital was a municipal hospital located on Welfare Island (formerly named Blackwell's Island, now named Roosevelt Island). The exact dates associated with the hospital are unclear, as many of them found in reference works and the collection conflict. According to Opdycke, the hospital began as the Penitentiary Hospital for the prison occupying the island, built in 1832. This later became Island Hospital, which expanded health care available to the city's poor. Island Hospital was destroyed by a fire in 1858, and a new building was built by prisoners on the island. The care and conditions at the hopsital were criticized, and in 1870, the hospital changed its name to Charity Hospital and hired a medical superintendant. By the 1930s, the hospital had been renamed City Hospital and had over one thousand beds. In 1957, the hospital was replaced by the City Hospital at Elmhurst.
Opdycke, Sandra. "Elmhurst Hospital Center" and "hospitals." Jackson, Kenneth T (ed.).1995. The encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press.
Collection Description
Scope and Content
The collection includes hospital reports and surveys, historical accounts, documents concerning the buildings of City Hospital, and materials generated by related organizations, the Society of the Alumni of City Hospital and the City Hospital School of Nursing.
Administrative Info
Collection processed and described by Rebecca Pou
Requests for permission to quote from or publish any materials should
be directed to the reference librarian or curator in writing.
Preferred Citation
Records of City Hospital (Welfare Island, N.Y.). The Drs. Barry and Bobbi Coller Rare Book Reading Room, New York Academy of Medicine Library.
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