Why is this building significant?
A simple two-story clapboard residence with a one-story kitchen wing, the Blackwell House is not only one of the few remaining farmhouses in the City from the immediate post-Revolutionary War era, but also the only building on Roosevelt Island from the time it was still privately held. (In 1828, the Blackwell family sold the island to New York City; previously, they had owned and farmed it since the late 17th century.) A particularly distinctive feature of the house is its one-story front porch with slender Ionic columns supporting a sloped, wood-shingle roof. The pedimented portico protecting the west-side doorway is a Greek Revival addition.
What did the New York Landmarks Conservancy do?
We consulted with the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation on all their landmarks. At Blackwell House we helped with two major restoration campaigns: the back porch was reconstructed, and we assisted in the design of a disability ramp, set in the landscape and connected to the front porch.
Contemporary
Historic
