4. Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour
The now-abandoned Ellis Island Hospital complex was once the United States medical care standard for immigrants hoping to settle in America. The hospital was later transformed into a U.S. Coast Guard base and FBI detention center, but it has been left to decay for nearly 60 years. Untapped New York partnered with Save Ellis Island to create an exclusive behind-the-scenes hard hat tour of the abandoned hospital. As they walk in the footsteps of the immigrants who passed through the complex over a century ago, tourists visit the laundry building, contagious disease wards, autopsy rooms, staff house, and many other historic structures. Pasted on the walls are several life-size photographs of immigrants as part of JR’s exhibition “Unframed – Ellis Island.”
The 29-building South Side hospital complex is hidden in plain sight, just to the left of the Great Hall. Looking at its desolate, skeletal frame, it is difficult to imagine its backstory as one of the largest public health undertakings in American history. The tour will be guided by a Save Ellis Island docent. Save Ellis Island is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise the funds needed to rehabilitate and repurpose the historic buildings. Get tickets here!