Hoffman Island
Hoffman Island | ||
---|---|---|
Hoffman Iceland on Staten Iceland seen from | ||
Waters | Lower New York Bay , Atlantic Ocean | |
Geographical location | 40 ° 35 ′ N , 74 ° 3 ′ W | |
|
Hoffman Island is, next to Swinburne Island , one of two artificial islands in Lower New York Bay , in the Hudson estuary near New York , west of Coney Island .
The island was filled in in 1872 and used to quarantine immigrants with infectious diseases who arrived on Ellis Island . The island was named after New York City Mayor John Thompson Hoffman .
During the Second World War, the two islands were used as anchor points for anti-submarine nets, which were supposed to prevent submarines from entering the Hudson.
Today the island is a historic monument managed by the National Park Service . Entering the island is partially prohibited in order to protect the native bird breeding grounds.