Visitor Kiosk Opens on Roosevelt Island

After four years of planning, the visitor kiosk opened yesterday on Roosevelt Island. The cast iron and terra cotta kiosk, located adjacent to the tram station, is one of five original kiosks at the Queensboro Bridge Trolley Station at Second Avenue and 59th Street.

"It's about the size of a Manhattan studio apartment," the president and historian of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society, Judith Berdy, said. She added that she is "jubilant" it is finally open.

The kiosk, which is 210 square feet and weighs 86,000 pounds, was transported to the Brooklyn Children's Museum in 1970.

In 2005, it was brought to Roosevelt Island. A former speaker of the City Council, Gifford Miller, and a current Council member, Jessica Lappin, were instrumental in securing funding, Ms. Berdy said.

She said that the terra cotta exterior will be restored and the cast iron structure will be painted green and ivory. "It's a work in progress," she said.