Ellis Island Seawall: Historic Structure Report: Ellis Island, State of Liberty National Monument

232 Pages·2003·12.7 MB·English

by  Kroll, Naomi

HistoricArchitecture Program
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ELLIS ISLAND SEAWALL
HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT
Ellis Island
Statue ofLiberty National Monument
By Naomi Kroll
Architectural Conservator
Architectural Preservation Division
Northeast Region
National Park Service
U.S. Department ofthe Interior
New York, New York o.
July 2003 "*
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CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES AND CREDITS vi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ix
MANAGEMENT SUMMARY
x
INTRODUCTION
I. i
Statement ofSignificance
3
Administrative Data
3
Architectural Description
4
A Note on Terminology and Scope
5
HISTORICAL DATA
II. 7
Prior to Immigration: Before 1890 9
First Immigration Station: 1890- 1897 13
Second Immigration Station and Island Two: 1897- 1898 19
Island Three: 1902- 1906 26
Peak Immigration Period: 1907- 1920's
31
Contract 1: NorthWall alongFerry Basin, 1913- 1914 32
Contract2: SouthWall alongFerry Basin, 1915- 1917 32
Contract3: Wall alongSoutheastSides ofIslands Two andThree,
across Basin Between Islands Two and Three, and
along Southwestside ofIsland Three, 1918- 1920 34
Contract 4: Northeast Side ofIsland One, 1918- 1920 35
Contract5: NorthwestCorner ofIsland One, 1920- 1921 36
Work on the Seawall Stops: 1921- 1933 36
WPA
Era through Detention Center Use: Circa 1933- 1954 43
Post- Immigration Period: 1954- Present 47
111
PHYSICAL EVOLUTION AND TECHNICAL DETAILS
III. 49
First Immigration Station: 1890- 1897 51
Second Immigration Station (Island Two): 1897- ^98 53
Island Three: 1902- 1906
57
Replacement ofWood Crib Seawall with Masonry: 1913- 1921 60
Contract 1: NorthWall alongFerryBasin, 1913- 1914 60
Contract 2: SouthWall alongFerry Basin, 1915- 1917 61
Contract3: Wall alongSoutheast Sides ofIslands Two andThree,
across Basin between IslandsTwo andThree, and
alongSouthwestside ofIsland Three, 1918- 1920 63
Contract4: Northeast Side ofIsland One, 1918- 1920 64
Contract5: NorthwestCornerofIsland One, 1920- 1921 64
WPA
Erathrough Detention Center Use: Circa 1933- 1954 74
Maintenance and Repair: 1976- Present 86
Mortar
87
RECOMMENDATIONS
IV. 89
GLOSSARY
V.
93
BIBLIOGRAPHY
VI.
97
IV
APPENDICES
VII. ioi
Appendix A. Specification for the Construction ofIsland One 103
Appendix B. Specification for the Construction ofIsland Three 119
Appendix C. Specifications for the Construction ofSeawall Sections,
Contracts 1- 5, 1913- 1920 131
Appendix D. Technical Excerpt, Specification for the Construction
ofSeawall, November 7, 1933 185
Appendix E. Graphic Summary ofURS/Madigan- Praeger Condition
Survey, 1976 205
Appendix F. Analysis ofSeawall Concrete, 1976 209
LIST OF FIGURES AND CREDITS
FigureA: Historical development ofEllis Islandandits seawall. Map from
CulturalLandscapeInventory, EllisIsland, Olmsted Centerfor Landscape
Preservation, 2001; redrawn byNaomi Kroll, 2003 xii
1. Details from drawingoffortifications in NewYork Harbor, 1813.
NARA II, RG 77, Drawer36, Sheet20 (underold catalogingsystem) 10
2. Plan ofEllis' Island, March26, 1870. NARAII, RG 74, Red #460, Dwg# 6 11
3. Map ofEllis Island, 1890. Unknown original source; copyin Ellis Island/
Statue ofLiberty Library, Map File 12
NARA
4. Ellis Island, lookingeastfromwithinthe ferrybasin, 1892- 1897. II,
RG 121, BA- 915- A 15
5. Ellis Island, lookingeast, 1892. NARA II, RG 121, BCP-37 D- 16 16
6. Plan ofEllis Island, 1906 copyof1896 original. NPS Denver Service Center,
Technical Information Center, STLI 43967.0006.tif 17
NARA
7. Photograph ofEllis Island afterfire, lookingnorthwest, 1897. II,
RGi2i,BA-28o
18
8. Layoutplan for cribwork and landfill to create Island Two,August 26, 1897.
NPS Denver Service Center,Technical Information Center, STLI 43961a- 0001.tif 21
9. Ellis Island, mainbuildingand main crib wall, circa 1904- 1910. NARA II,
RG 121, 90- G- 90- 4 22
10. PresidentTaftvisitingEllis Island, October 1910, showingwest end ofmain
crib, Island One. Library ofCongress, Division ofPrints and Photography,
Bain Collection, B2- 2089-14 23
11. IslandTwo from Island One,June 1901. NARA II, RG 121, BCP-37 D- 4 24
12. Halftone panorama ofEllis Island, 1902. Library ofCongress, Division of
Prints and Photography, U.S. Geographic File, Digital ID cph3C16221 25
13. Layoutplan forthe creation ofIsland Three,July 2, 1903. NPS Denver Service
Center,Technical Information Center, STLI43961a- 0003.tif 28
14. IslandThree fromthe north, December16, 1907. NARA II, RG 121, BCP- 38- A- 22A 29
vi
15. Ellis Island from the southeast, 1912. Museum ofthe City ofNewYork,
Underhill Collection, B19326 30
16. Construction ofContract 1 seawall, lookingnorth,August 1913. NARAI,
RG 85, Entry 9, Box55640, file 558 A 38
17. Island Three and fill between Islands Two and Three, lookingsouth, circa
1925. Unknown original source; copyin Ellis Island/ Statue ofLiberty
Library, Images File 39
18. Aerial viewofEllis Island, 1920. NARA II, RG 18 AA, Box 93, 61 40
19. Aerial viewofEllis Island, 1926. NARA II, RG 18 AA, Box 93, 60 41
20. Cover ofScientificAmerican, April 26, 1919,Volume CXX, Number 17 42
21. Plan ofEllis Island showingnew sections ofseawall to be constructed,
November 1933. NPS Denver Service Center,Technical Information Center,
STLI 43942.0002tif 46
22. Sketch ofmodification made to the northeast side ofIsland Two during
construction, 1898. NPS Denver Service Center,Technical Information
Center, STLI 439613.0009 tif 55
23. View ofIsland Two from Island One, 1907. NARA II, RG 121, 90- G- 90- 27 56
24. Construction details forIslandThree cribwork,July 2, 1903. NPS Denver
Service Center,Technical Information Center, STLI 439613.0002tif. 58
25. Construction details forgangwayconnectingIslands Two andThree. NPS
Denver Service Center,Technical Information Center, STLI 439613.0006 tif 59
26. Castingofunderwater concrete blocks for Contract 1, May 17, 1913. NARA I,
RG 85, Entry 9, Box55640,file558 A 65
NARA
27. Settingofunderwater concrete blocks for Contract 1,July 19, 1913. I,
RG 85, Entry 9, Box55640, file 558 A 66
28. Construction ofconcrete counterforts on top ofIsland Two orThree
cribwork, 1917. NARANYC, RG 79, Folder 203 67
29. Drawing, Seawall ContractNo. 1, November 1912. NPS DenverService
Center,Technical Information Center, STLI 43961.0001 tif 68
30. Drawing, Seawall Contract No. 2, December3, 1914. NPS DenverService
Center,Technical Information Center, STLI 43961 a.ooio tif. 69
vii
31. Lowerleftdetail ofContract 2 drawing, December3, 1914. NARAI, RG 85,
Entry 9, Box55640, file 558 E 70
32. Drawing, Seawall ContractNo. 3, February 2, 1918. NARA I, RG 85, Entry 9,
Box55640, file 558 C 71
33. Drawing, Seawall ContractNo. 4, October 1918. NPS Denver Service Center,
Technical Information Center, STLI43961.0002tif 72
34. Drawing, Seawall ContractNo. 5, March 14, 1920. NPS Denver Service Center,
Technical Information Center, STLI 439613.0003 tif. 73
35. Castingofconcrete sheetpiles,April 2, 1934. NARAII, RG 121, Box38, Folder C 75
36. Concrete sheetpiles inplace, Section 1 (northwestside ofIslandThree),
August 1, 1934. NARAII, RG 121, Box38, Folder C 76
37. Settingofgranite blocks on concrete sheetpiling, Section 2 (northwest side of
NARA RG
island complex, lookingnortheast), September24, 1934. II, 121,
Box38, FolderC 77
38. Fill between IslandsTwo and Three, lookingnorthwest, September 28, 1934.
NARAII, RG 121, Box38, Folder C 78
39. Section No. 1 drawing,November 6, 1911. NPS Denver Service Center,Technical
Information Center, STLI43942.0003 tif 79
40. Section No. 2drawing,November 6, 1911. NPS Denver Service Center,Technical
Information Center, STLI43942.0004tif. 80
41. Section No.3 drawing, November 6, 1911. NPS DenverService Center,Technical
Information Center, STLI43942.0005 tif. 81
42. Section No. 4 drawing,November 6, 1911. NPS Denver Service Center,Technical
Information Center, STLI43942.0006 tif. 82
43. Section No. 4details,November 6, 1911. NPS Denver Service Center,Technical
Information Center, STLI43942.0007tif. 83
44. Section No. 5 drawing,November 6, 1911. NPS Denver Service Center,Technical
Information Center, STLI 43942.0008 tif 84
45. Section No. 5 details, November 6, 1911. NPS Denver Service Center,Technical
Information Center, STLI43942.0010 tif 85
vni