Ellis Island: Main Building - Registry Room
The Registry Room, or Great Hall, of the Ellis Island Main Building, was the principal waystation for most immigrants processed at Ellis Island. Originally built in 1898-1900 to the Beaux Arts design of Boring & Tilton and carried out under the supervision of James Know Taylor, the 200-foot long by one uhundred foot wide room could accommodate the processing of 5,000 immigrants a day.
The ceilings of the two-story barrel vaulted room reach a height of fifty-six feet and features a permieter balcony surrounding the space. Originally divided by iron railings into narrow alleys to hold lines of immigrants, the room was entered by a staircase from the first foloor through a large opening in the center. The staircase was closed and railings were removed in 1911, and following damage caused by German saboteurs on nearby Black Tom Wharf in 1916, the Gustavino tile arched ceiling replaced the original plaster ceiling and red Ludowici tile floor was replaced the original asphalt floor. The enormous room is lit by natural light through the huge arched windows at the clerestory level. In the late 1980's, the National Park Service restored the room to reflect its appearance between 1918 and 1924, and today it functions as an exhibition space in the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.
Ellis Island, in Upper New York Bay, was the gateway for over 12 million immigrants to the United States as the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1854. Prior to being expansion with land reclamation for this purpose, it was the site of Fort Gibson and later a naval magazine. The island was made part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965 and has hosted a museum of immigration since 1990.
The interior of the Ellis Island Main Building was was designated a historic landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1993. The Ellis Island Historic District was designated a historic district by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1993.
Statue of Liberty National Monument New Jersey State Register (1971)
Statue of Liberty National Monument National Register #66000058 (1966)
Ellis Island: Main Building - Registry Room
The Registry Room, or Great Hall, of the Ellis Island Main Building, was the principal waystation for most immigrants processed at Ellis Island. Originally built in 1898-1900 to the Beaux Arts design of Boring & Tilton and carried out under the supervision of James Know Taylor, the 200-foot long by one uhundred foot wide room could accommodate the processing of 5,000 immigrants a day.
The ceilings of the two-story barrel vaulted room reach a height of fifty-six feet and features a permieter balcony surrounding the space. Originally divided by iron railings into narrow alleys to hold lines of immigrants, the room was entered by a staircase from the first foloor through a large opening in the center. The staircase was closed and railings were removed in 1911, and following damage caused by German saboteurs on nearby Black Tom Wharf in 1916, the Gustavino tile arched ceiling replaced the original plaster ceiling and red Ludowici tile floor was replaced the original asphalt floor. The enormous room is lit by natural light through the huge arched windows at the clerestory level. In the late 1980's, the National Park Service restored the room to reflect its appearance between 1918 and 1924, and today it functions as an exhibition space in the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.
Ellis Island, in Upper New York Bay, was the gateway for over 12 million immigrants to the United States as the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1854. Prior to being expansion with land reclamation for this purpose, it was the site of Fort Gibson and later a naval magazine. The island was made part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965 and has hosted a museum of immigration since 1990.
The interior of the Ellis Island Main Building was was designated a historic landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1993. The Ellis Island Historic District was designated a historic district by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1993.
Statue of Liberty National Monument New Jersey State Register (1971)
Statue of Liberty National Monument National Register #66000058 (1966)