The MegaBuild You Tube Channel chronicles gigantic real estate development projects that were never built including one planned for Roosevelt Island.
According to MegaBuild:
…Hopping across the Atlantic, let’s now head over to an alternate New York City which could have looked completely different than it is today. This is Roosevelt Island. A narrow strip of land located between Manhattan and Queens. …
… But in 1904, a wildly ambitious proposal imagined a very different future for the island. A young architect by the name of Thomas J. George argued that New York’s current city hall was located in a place that was too far removed from the actual heart of the city. Because of this, he envisioned Roosevelt Island as a new civic center that is more accessible and central than the current one. Completely transforming the notorious island into a grand municipal complex.
The centerpiece of his vision was a monumental neoclassical building that would have been seven blocks long and 180 meters tall. The structure would be home to various courthouses, administrative and government offices, and of course, the city hall. Surrounding this massive structure would be a mirrored promenade spanning the entire area. Probably the most interesting part of this design are the bridges that would directly connect the island to the rest of the city. George even planned for one of the bridges to pass right through the central dome of the main building….
Take a look at the plan.