Don’t believe Roosevelt Island is the center of New York City? Take a look at this aerial view from Zohar Manor-Abel via Brownstoner.
At least in this photo, Roosevelt Island is the center of NYC. Also, here’s an aerial view of Roosevelt (then, Blackwell’s) Island from a 1924 Air Mail Service film. Only the southern tip of Roosevelt (Blackwell’s) Island is shown but you can clearly see the current Goldwater Hospital site (future home of Cornell NYC Tech) as the 1924 Air Mail Plane makes its way across Long Island City, Roosevelt Island, the East River, Manhattan and the Hudson River on way to California. According to the You Tube description of the film:
An unusual feature length film from the 1920s about the Air Mail Service which, essentially, began civil commercial aviation in the U.S.
An air mail plane flies from New York City to San Francisco, making various stops. Consists mostly of aerial views of the plane and the terrain. Reel 1 shows the handling of a letter preparatory to the flight. The airplane leaves New York and flies over the Allegheny Mountains. Reel 2, the plane flies to Iowa City, Iowa, making stops at Bellefonte, Pennsylvania; Cleveland; and Maywood, Illinois. Reel 3 shows the flight from Omaha to Salt Lake City, with stops at North Platte, Nebraska, and Rock Springs, Wyoming. Reel 4, from Reno to San Francisco. Reel 5, Army planes are reconditioned for air mail service and night landings are made at the Air Mail Service Depot at Chicago. Shows Harry S. New and an aerial panorama of Washington, D.C….
Click here for the entire trip from NYC to San Francisco and additional info including names of the pilots. You can also take a boat ride past 1903 Blackwell’s Island with Thomas Edison at this previous post.