Ellis Island
Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 million immigrants arriving at the Port of New York and New Jersey were processed there under federal law. It has been part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument since 1965 and is accessible to the public only by ferry. The north side of the island is the site of the main building, now a national museum of immigration. The south side of the island, including the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, is open to the public only through guided tours.
| Ellis Island | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of Ellis Island | |
| Location | Upper New York Bay Jersey City, New Jersey and New York City, New York United States |
| Coordinates | 40°41′58″N 74°02′23″W |
| Area | 27.5 acres (11.1 ha) |
| Elevation | 7 ft (2.1 m) |
| Built | 1900 (Main Building) 1911 (Hospital) |
| Architect | William Alciphron Boring Edward Lippincott Tilton James Knox Taylor |
| Architectural style(s) | Renaissance Revival |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | www |
U.S. National Monument | |
| Official name | Statue of Liberty National Monument |
| Designated | May 11, 1965 |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Official name | Statue of Liberty National Monument, Ellis Island and Liberty Island |
| Designated | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference no. | 66000058 |
New Jersey Register of Historic Places | |
| Official name | Statue of Liberty National Monument, Ellis Island and Liberty Island |
| Designated | May 27, 1971 |
| Reference no. | 1535 |
New York City Landmark | |
| Type | District/Individual Interior |
| Designated | November 16, 1993 |
| Reference no. | 1902 (district), 1903 (main building interior) |
Location of Ellis Island in Hudson County, New Jersey Ellis Island (New Jersey) Ellis Island (New York City) Ellis Island (New York) Ellis Island (the United States) | |
The name derives from Samuel Ellis, a Welshman who bought the island in 1774. In the 19th century, Ellis Island was the site of Fort Gibson and later became a naval magazine. The first inspection station opened in 1892 and was destroyed by fire in 1897. The second station opened in 1900 and housed facilities for medical quarantines and processing immigrants. After 1924, Ellis Island was used primarily as a detention center for migrants. During both World War I and World War II, its facilities were also used by the US military to detain prisoners of war. After the immigration station's closure, the buildings languished for several years until they were partially reopened in 1976. The main building and adjacent structures were completely renovated in 1990.
The 27.5-acre (11.1 ha) island was greatly expanded by land reclamation between the late 1890s and the 1930s. Jurisdictional disputes between New Jersey and New York State persisted until the 1998 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in New Jersey v. New York.