By Y.M. Lowy

In our summer series New York Offshore, we take a closer look at the islands scattered across New York City’s waterways. Each one carries its own history, landscape, and role in the life of the city, from lively public spaces to quiet, restricted land surrounded by water. This week we explore Ellis Island.

For millions of people, Ellis Island was the gateway to a new life in America. Located between New York and New Jersey, the island became the nation’s busiest immigration station and remains one of the most powerful symbols of opportunity and new beginnings.

Although a small immigration station operated there earlier, Ellis Island officially opened as the federal immigration station on January 1, 1892. Over the next 62 years, more than 12 million immigrants passed through its halls. Most completed the inspection process in just a few hours, while others spent days or even weeks on the island as officials reviewed their medical examinations or paperwork.

Among those who arrived were hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution, poverty, and violence across Eastern Europe and the Russian Empire. Many escaped the pogroms that devastated Jewish communities in the late 1800s and early 1900s, arriving with little more than a few belongings and the hope of building safer lives for their families. Countless Jewish families in New York and across the United States trace their American roots to a first step onto Ellis Island.

Landfill expanded Ellis Island from just over three acres to more than 27 acres, allowing additional inspection buildings, hospitals, kitchens, dormitories, and administrative offices to be constructed. Thousands of babies were born in the island’s hospital, while others received medical care before continuing their journey into the United States.

Immigration processing at Ellis Island came to an end in 1954, and the buildings sat largely abandoned for years. In the 1980s, the Main Immigration Building underwent a major restoration before reopening in 1990 as part of the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, preserving the stories of those who passed through its doors.

Today, visitors can walk through the restored Great Hall, explore exhibits featuring personal belongings, photographs, and immigration records. Looking out across the harbor toward the Manhattan skyline, it’s easy to imagine the emotions felt by generations of newcomers as they caught their first glimpse of the city that would become their new home.

photo: Shutterstock