Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, Under CEO Shelton Haynes, Finalizes Riverwalk Neighborhood With Developers
New York City’s historic Renwick Ruin looks like a crumbling castle from medieval England, ivy blanketing its Gothic Revival shell and gaping holes piercing its walls. Erected in 1854 on Roosevelt Island, the dilapidated smallpox hospital is a quirky landmark that could act as a totem for its unique location. Just as 1950s brutalist architecture brushes against modern art on the island, the historic ruin juxtaposes past and present.
Encircled by the East River, Roosevelt Island lies across from midtown Manhattan, providing residents an unlikely escape from the city’s hustle and bustle. Its reputation as a best-kept-secret seemed secure until Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation and its chief executive officer, Shelton Haynes, invigorated the location by completing projects begun during earlier RIOC administrations.
Under Haynes’ direction, RIOC unveiled the FDR Hope Memorial honoring President Franklin D. Roosevelt in July 2021 and a monument for journalist Nellie Bly in December 2021. Acting as ambassadors for the Roosevelt Island brand, RIOC sold investors on the island’s potential. The public relations campaign led to new retail and hospitality construction.
Haynes and RIOC recently celebrated another achievement: Real estate developers The Hudson Companies and Related Companies closed on $185 million in construction financing necessary to finish apartment building Riverwalk 9. The 28-story tower will be the ninth and final building of Riverwalk, a 19-acre complex of more than 2,000 apartments. The project resulted from a long-term venture between RIOC, Related Companies, and The Hudson Companies, which began in 1997.
“The start of work on Riverwalk 9 marks … a quarter-century of work with our partner to build an entirely new and thriving neighborhood on Roosevelt Island,” David Kramer, CEO of The Hudson Companies, said in a news release. “Riverwalk 8 brought affordable housing, while Riverwalk 9’s plans are for market-rate apartments.”
The 300-foot-tall tower will house 357 apartments and sit on a lot just north of the Queensboro Bridge. Designed by Handel Architects, Riverwalk 9 will provide 253 market-rate apartments and 104 workforce housing units for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center employees. Affordable apartments in Riverwalk make up 40% of the units, including the entire Riverwalk Park building.
“From our first planning meetings in 1997, we set out to bring these 19 undeveloped acres to life through mixed-income rental, condominium, and institutional housing, dynamic retail, and beautiful new public, open space,” Kramer said in a news release.
“I cannot wait to get shovels in the ground to unveil our latest investment that will continue the tremendous economic boom we are experiencing,” Haynes said in a news release. “Once completed, Riverwalk 9 will spur further job growth, create new housing, and contribute nicely to the beauty of Roosevelt Island.”
Monadnock Construction will begin work on the Riverwalk 9 tower within weeks; it aims to complete it in mid-2025. The structure will include a fitness center overlooking the East River, a basketball court, and an outdoor area with a dog run, grills, and public open space. Office spaces, including RIOC’s headquarters, are also part of the design.
Shelton Haynes and RIOC See Decades-Old Dreams Come True
Despite a post-COVID reputation as an emerging hot spot, two-mile Roosevelt Island retains a small-town vibe. Populated by a mere 12,000 citizens, the island offers residents open fields, tree-lined streets, and parks — swaths of green not found abundantly in New York City. Residents enjoy low-density housing and views of the United Nations headquarters buildings, One World Trade Center, and other architectural icons.
A state-run agency, RIOC manages Roosevelt Island’s roads, parks, buildings, sports facilities, public transportation, and public safety department. CEO Shelton Haynes champions the developments and invites residents and tourists to visit the island’s businesses, parks, restaurants, and other attractions.
In 1969, the New York State Urban Development Corporation tapped renowned architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee to design Roosevelt Island’s master plan. The Johnson-Burgee architecture firm was known for creating stylish high-rise office towers, such as the AT&T building in NYC, and other innovative structures, such as the Cleveland Playhouse in Cleveland and the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.
Johnson and Burgee led a team that prepared the Roosevelt Island master plan and submitted it later in 1969. The team based its urban plan on 20,000 people, creating a small town with apartments, shops, parks, a town center, one main street, and a central garage. The same year, Johnson and Burgee presented the proposal in the book The Island Nobody Knows, published in conjunction with a Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition of the same name.
The opening of the island’s cable car in 1976 and its first subway stop in 1989 sandwiched RIOC’s 1984 debut. The state created the agency to plan, develop, operate, and maintain the island, functioning like a local government. It was tasked with finishing Johnson and Burgee’s master plan, which is what will occur when The Hudson Companies and Related Companies complete construction on the Riverwalk 9 building.
RIOC, Shelton Haynes, Finish FDR Memorial That Began in 1973
Another feather in RIOC and Shelton Haynes’ caps is the completion of a long-awaited project RIOC began in 1973. Then, the New York State Urban Development Corporation contracted American architect Louis I. Kahn to design the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park to commemorate the late U.S. president for whom the island was named. It was Kahn’s last work before his death in 1974; an elegant design, it languished for decades due to a lack of funding for construction.
The state park phase finally concluded in 2012 at the island’s southern tip. In July 2021, RIOC and its current CEO, Shelton Haynes, unveiled the park’s final stage, the FDR Hope Memorial. Sculptor Meredith Bergmann brought bronze to life through her two sculptures dedicated to Roosevelt’s disability due to polio.
The sculptures depict a joyous moment when Roosevelt greets a girl wearing leg braces, as he did. The figures stand on a white granite circle the size of the Oval Office, inspiring those who strive to overcome challenges. Bergmann sculpted Roosevelt’s upper body to appear robust, then placed his thin, weakened legs into the wheelchair. The young girl holds crutches under one arm, lifting the other to shake the president’s hand.
Retail, Fine Dining, Student Life, and the Graduate Roosevelt Island Hotel Arrive
Roosevelt Island’s original name was Minnehanonck, which means “nice island.” True to its moniker, this nice island is getting nicer as more retail arrives. The Hudson Companies and Related Companies hold long-term leases on 90,000 square feet of retail on Roosevelt Island’s Main Street. Shops on Main are now 95% leased and include Wholesome Factory, Wholesome Taqueria, Granny Annie’s Bar & Kitchen, Island OM, and a New York Public Library branch.
The Hudson Companies and Related Companies transformed Roosevelt Island’s retail corridor, extensively rebranding, refurbishing, and repainting it. Construction teams installed new lighting, signage, benches, and wood ceilings on the arcade.
“With economic development booming, this construction is proof that people want to come to Roosevelt Island, to live, work, and invest in our community,” RIOC CEO Shelton Haynes says.
In 2017, Cornell Tech’s 12-acre campus came to life on the island’s southern end. Structures include The House, a 26-story, 353-unit tower Hudson Companies and Related Companies built for Cornell’s student and faculty housing. David Kramer, CEO of The Hudson Companies, says the building is a creative example of a public-private partnership. Developed to meet energy-efficient Passive House design and construction standards, The House is considered the world’s largest example of Passive House standards.
Roosevelt Island’s first hotel, the swanky Graduate Roosevelt Island, opened on the Cornell Tech campus in 2021. The visionary Graduate Hotels chain includes more than 30 locations designed with nods to regional charm and collegiate culture. Splashy colors, playful furniture, and unconventional details characterize the hotels.
The Graduate’s fine-dining rooftop spot, Anything at All, provides 360-degree views of the surrounding river and the Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn skylines. With partner Marc Rose, restaurateur Med Abrous launched Anything at All via their company, Call Mom. The cuisine is New American, and the menu focuses on seasonality, local offerings, and sustainability.
Abrous discussed his visit to the island before opening the restaurant in a June 17, 2021, New York Times article. He said, “I was taken aback just being in the middle of the East River. New high-rises were plentiful, and the hotel’s rooftop offered views of several New York City landmarks, from the United Nations building across the river to One World Trade Center farther south.”
Roosevelt Island is a historical and geographical anomaly where uniqueness flourishes. It no longer hosts a working smallpox hospital, “insane asylum,” prison, or workhouse. Today, its landmarks, conveniences, parks, inexpensive housing, and natural beauty render it a sanctuary for visitors and the lucky 12,000 who live there.