Blackwell House

Blackwell House is a wooden farmhouse on Roosevelt Island featuring white clapboard walls, green shutters, and a distinctive two-story entrance portico with columns. The building displays architectural elements typical of early 1800s farming homes.

James Blackwell built this house between 1796 and 1804 while his family farmed the entire Roosevelt Island. After the family left, the land was later developed for public institutions.

The house reflects how a prosperous farming family lived in the late 1700s, working the land that is now part of the island. Its style shows the differences between rural homes and city houses from that era.

The house is easily reached on foot from the eastern side of Roosevelt Island. The interior displays historical photographs and objects that help visitors understand the island's past in a straightforward way.

The Blackwell House is one of the few surviving farmhouses from this era in New York City and dates from before the city took over the island. It stands as the only remaining private residence building from Roosevelt Island's early period.

Location: Manhattan

Inception: 1796

GPS coordinates: 40.76028,-73.95111

Latest update: December 8, 2025 13:42