Roosevelt Island and Queensboro Bridge, New York City

Welfare Island (former Blackwell's Island, now Roosevelt Island) and Queensboro Bridge over East River, New York City, looking north. The Triborough and Hell Gate bridges are in the background.

Photo dated December 8, 1936. Source: Mitchel Field, War Department. Army Air Forces, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (with additional text).

The Roosevelt Island is an island within the borough of Manhattan. The Queensboro Bridge opened to traffic in 1909, connecting East 59th Street in Manhattan to the borough of Queens. The island cannot be accessed directly from the bridge. Later, in 1955, the Welfare Island Bridge to Queens was opened.

In 1921, Blackwell's Island was renamed Welfare Island and renamed again in 1973 as Roosevelt Island. In 1984, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) was created by the state legislature.