After more than a half century’s abandonment, Ellis Island’s refurbished landmark ferry building reopened on April 2nd. Leading the initiative to restore the island’s remaining deteriorating buildings, the renovation design by EYP involved exterior work, such as extensive masonry repairs, a new roof, and the restoration of the steel windows and the ornate lead-coated copper cupola, and interior work, including detailed restoration of historic finishes and fixtures, such as decorative plaster cornice, terracotta wainscot, terrazzo flooring and a large bronze chandelier. In addition, new electrical, HVAC, and fire protection systems were installed. According to the island’s National Parks Service superintendent Cynthia Garrett, the building “was in deplorable condition, but you could still sense its original grandeur. To see it now restored, as immigrants saw it on the last leg of their journey to America, is a delight. The Ellis Island Immigration Station’s story cannot be fully told without the restoration of the south side of the island.” Originally built in 1936 and closed in 1954, the ferry building was, for almost 20 years, the last way station for New York’s new arrivals. The ferry building straddles the center of the island and links the main immigration building to the abandoned warren of hospital buildings and contagious disease wards on the island’s south side. The restored facility now contains an exhibit titled “Future in the Balance: Immigrants, Public Health and Ellis Island’s Hospitals,” which includes pictures of the functioning complex in the early 20th century and tales from immigrants, doctors and nurses who spent time there before it was abandoned.