From Ward’s to Great Barn Island
City Voices is wise to focus discussion on the potential redevelopment of Ward’s Island in New York City to create new affordable housing alongside the parks and open spaces already there. There are important choices to be made about land that in Colonial times was called Great Barn Island, and today offers stunning views of Manhattan.
In Exiles in New York City: Warehousing the Marginalized on Ward’s Island, Phil Yanos (John Jay, CUNY Graduate Center) tells the Island’s history and offers a vision to create affordable housing and a museum about mental health. In his comprehensive review of Exiles, Carl Blumenthal skillfully evaluates Yanos’ ideas about future uses of Ward’s Island and cautions “given the City’s current fiscal crisis” the vision seems a pipe dream.
Notably, Blumenthal does not challenge the potential value of new affordable housing or a health museum – just the idea of cash coming from the City. I am grateful to Carl Blumenthal and City Voices for starting a rich discussion that I will extend in new directions. (Please note my collaboration with Phil Yanos on academic research and the National Museum of Mental Health Project, Inc.)
Affordable housing on Ward’s Island
As described by Blumenthal, Yanos exudes idealism for the development of affordable housing, and since early 2025 has spread the word to forums like WNYC. Separately, in December 2025, New York City Councilor Gale Brewer led the passage of a law mandating a feasibility study of affordable housing on Ward’s Island. Brewer and Yanos both point to the example of the redevelopment of Roosevelt Island one mile down the East River.
Roosevelt Island shares a kind of institutional past with Ward’s Island and in recent decades was redeveloped to include affordable housing, the campus of Cornell Tech, outdoor sculpture, gardens, and parks – and market-rate housing. It proves affordable housing can happen on Ward’s. Yet, I respect Blumenthal’s judgment the City can’t afford it now.
Health museum on Ward’s Island
Exiles describes that in the 1930s Robert Moses, the visionary and calculating 20th century New York power broker, wanted to build a health museum on Ward’s Island. Moses developed bridges, highways, and public works on the Island, and wanted to build a signature park and museum. Critics call Moses unfeeling – why would he care that a health museum can create prevention through education?
Moses moved to New York City as boy in the late 1800s. Tuberculosis was a leading cause of death, and risk for all. While he was a teen, the American Museum of Natural History curated the International Tuberculosis Exhibition to teach people how to minimize tuberculosis risk. Between November 1908 and January 1909, it drew 750,000 visitors when NYC’s population was 4.5 million. As a college student with a public sector future, Moses likely learned through this example a museum can improve prevention, and prevention improves lives. His museum never happened.
Mental health museum
In 2018, National Museum of Mental Health Project co-developer Alexandra Orlandi and I started talking to people as a team. Some loved the idea of a national museum of mental health. Some envisioned the enjoyable, cool, and impactful learning it would create. In 2018, they were minority voices. That’s changed.
By 2023, innovative NYC iSchool teacher Treena Thibodeau, with students like Nikki Hatzopoulos, started making films about New York City, mental health, history, attitudes, and trying to be well at this moment. These brilliant collaborators connected the idea of a national museum of mental health to Roosevelt Island, one mile down from Ward’s Island.
In Spring 2026, Phil Yanos, and his son Theo Frye Yanos, met with my students from Boston University to talk about their Ward’s Island designs. Later, students analyzed business aspects of a museum – and made recommendations for 2026. Often, I trust their instincts more than mine. They heard ideas about a museum that blends education, the outdoors, and creativity with mental health – with delivery to the five boroughs and beyond.
They analyzed ideas and were optimistic. Perhaps their optimism is because they see the museum through the lens of entrepreneurship – nonprofit, or socially responsible for-profit, not the lens of City finances given there are better alternatives.
I hope City Voices keeps the discussion going about Great Barn Island.
Go Knicks.
Paul Piwko is co-developer of National Museum of Mental Health Project, and a Lecturer in the Questrom School of Business at Boston University. Credit to Amy Sohn’s interview with Phil Yanos for the “Great Barn” inspiration.
