So how do the people at the Octagon?our favorite newish Roosevelt Island development?know that FDR would be proud of the luxury rentals at the "Midtown venue with small-town values"? Probably because they're hearing voices. After all, the Octagon used to be the New York Lunatic Asylum, an interesting past that you will definitely not find on their website. But there is a bit of revisionist history offered:
The Octagon opened in 1841, an island retreat with beautiful scenery on every side. The building was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, the era's most influential architect, celebrated for his lavish Hudson River estates ... In 1894 The Octagon was converted into a general hospital with a steamer service ferrying patients and staff across the East River. The hospital closed in 1955, and the building fell into neglect.Jokes an emailer: "If you buy this crap, I guess rikers qualifies as an 'island retreat' too." Ooh, is it renting?!
· The Ocatgon [octagonnyc.com]
· Trends in Real Estate Advertising: Dead Presidents [Curbed]
· The Little Apple's Octagon: Cut-Rate Asylum Living [Curbed]