Hoffman Island in Lower New York Bay off Staten Island

Island, fort & lighthouseStaten Island

Hoffman Island, the Artificial Quarantine Island off Staten Island

Hoffman Island is an 11-acre artificial island in Lower New York Bay, off South Beach on Staten Island. It served as a quarantine station for arriving immigrants and later as a Merchant Marine training base, and it is now closed to people to protect nesting birds. Its story is easy to enjoy from the shore, but the island itself stays out of reach.

This island does not exist in nature: it was built from landfill in New York Harbor to hold immigrants who might carry disease. Today its only regular visitors are herons, cormorants and seals.

WhereLower New York Bay, off South Beach, Staten Island

TypeArtificial quarantine island, now a bird and seal refuge

Best forHarbor history, quarantine and immigration stories, birdwatching from a distance

Getting thereClosed to the public; the island can only be seen from afar, so check the current rules before you go

The history of Hoffman Island, from quarantine station to bird refuge

Hoffman Island was made by people. In the 19th century landfill was piled up in Lower New York Bay on a shoal to create an 11-acre island, and it was named for John Thompson Hoffman, who was mayor of New York City from 1866 to 1868 and governor of New York State from 1869 to 1871. A smaller artificial island, Swinburne Island, lies immediately to the south. Sources differ on the exact date when the island took shape, so this guide gives it only in general terms.

Together the two islands formed a quarantine station at the entrance to the harbor. Immigrants who arrived at the inspection station on nearby Ellis Island and showed signs of contagious disease were kept away from the city. In the early system, Hoffman housed people who had only been exposed to dangerous diseases, while those with confirmed illness were treated on Swinburne. Quarantine here was a public-health measure for a port where thousands of newcomers arrived, and for that reason the islands carry sad associations for many descendants of immigrants. Ships waiting for inspection could fill the lower harbor, as happened during the cholera outbreaks of the 1880s.

As immigration fell during and after World War I and new laws reduced arrivals, the quarantine facilities saw little use. In 1938 the United States Merchant Marine opened a training station on the two islands, and training continued through World War II. During the war the islands also served as anchorages for anti-submarine nets that protected New York Bay. The Quonset huts built in this period are no longer visible on Hoffman Island.

After the war, several ideas for the islands never materialized. In the 1950s the city planner Robert Moses and the political consultant Bernard Baruch proposed turning them into a city park. In 1962 the city approved buying rock from the Richmond Tunnel excavation for a bulkhead that would join the islands, but the rock was of poor quality and was dumped elsewhere. In the 1980s some Staten Island residents suggested a homeless shelter on the islands, which was not carried out. In 1965 eleven people, including the filmmaker Leon Gast, were arrested for trespassing and other charges for making a film on the island.

Hoffman and Swinburne are now managed by the National Park Service as part of the Staten Island Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. The city transferred Hoffman Island to the National Park Service in 1974. The island is off limits to the public in order to protect its nesting wading birds, and since 2001 harbor seals have been seen wintering on and near the islands.

Little-known facts about Hoffman Island

Hoffman Island is entirely artificial: it was created from landfill on a shoal and named for a former mayor and governor of New York.
Passengers who showed no symptoms were held on Hoffman, while those with signs of contagious disease were hospitalized on neighboring Swinburne Island.
In 1938 the island became part of the first United States Merchant Marine training station, and during World War II the islands anchored anti-submarine nets protecting the bay.
In 1965 eleven people, among them the filmmaker Leon Gast, were arrested for trespassing and other charges after filming a “nudie” movie on the island.
A New York Times Magazine feature from 1910 was titled “A Little Island Near New York Peopled With Babies”, a reminder of the families and children who passed through the quarantine station.
Birds that nest here include great egret, snowy egret, black-crowned night heron, glossy ibis, double-crested cormorant and great black-backed gull.

Visiting Hoffman Island: access and viewing

The island is off limits to the public. Do not try to land or approach it by your own means, since its function is to protect nesting birds.
It is part of Gateway National Recreation Area, but, as the sources note, the only recreation allowed is for birds and seals rather than people.
Its overgrown interior now shows mostly foundations of demolished structures and the remains of old docks, but you cannot see these from the shore.
Check the current rules of the National Park Service for any guided or authorized ways to see the islands, such as wildlife programs or boat trips.
Fort Wadsworth and Battery Weed in this guide are close by on Staten Island and can complete a day exploring the harbor.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Hoffman Island is

Photos of Hoffman Island

Historic photograph of a “plague ship” carrying suspected patients to the Hoffman Island quarantine station

Archive photograph from the National Archives showing Hoffman Island

Hoffman Island seen from the Brooklyn shore

Historic view of Hoffman Island in New York Harbor

Historic photograph of immigrants from a smallpox ship held for observation at Hoffman Island

Where to stay near Hoffman Island

Hotels close by, with ratings and current availability.

Hilton Garden Inn New York / Staten Island

Bloomfield (west Staten Island) · ★ 8.4 (1001) · 11.1 km away

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Hampton Inn & Suites Staten Island

Bloomfield (west Staten Island) · ★ 8.6 (1346) · 11.2 km away

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Hotel Le Bleu

Park Slope / Gowanus · ★ 8.2 (1361) · 11.9 km away

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Hotel photos: Expedia Group. Ratings are shown as published there. Availability and conditions change; check the booking page. Affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. All hotels by borough

Questions

Can you visit Hoffman Island?

No. The island is closed to the public to protect its nesting birds. Check the current rules of the National Park Service for any authorized ways of seeing it.

What was Hoffman Island used for?

It was a quarantine station for immigrants who might carry contagious diseases, then a United States Merchant Marine training station from 1938 and an anchorage for anti-submarine nets in World War II.

Is Hoffman Island a natural island?

No. It is an 11-acre artificial island built from landfill in Lower New York Bay and named for John Thompson Hoffman, a former mayor and governor.

Where is Hoffman Island?

It lies in Lower New York Bay, off South Beach on Staten Island, with the smaller Swinburne Island just to the south.

What lives on Hoffman Island today?

Wading birds such as egrets and night herons, plus cormorants and gulls. Harbor seals have been seen wintering on and near the islands since 2001.

Who manages Hoffman Island?

The National Park Service, as part of the Staten Island Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. The city transferred it in 1974.