Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1990-present
Over1.2millionnewcomersentered,swellingtheforeign-bornpopulationtoover40
percent of the total population - the highest since 1910. Queens is classified as the
most ethnically diverse county in the U.S.
The Restoration of Ellis Island
Lawsdefiningimmigrationquotasenactedin1924drastic-
ally curtailed the numbers of foreigners coming into the
U.S.,andEllisIslandwasnolongerneededasanimmigra-
tion depot. It became a detention and deportation center
for undesirable aliens, a training center for the U.S. Coast
Guard, and a hospital for wounded servicemen during
World War II. In 1954 the U.S. government closed the is-
land. It remained abandoned until 1984, when a $156 mil-
lion renewal project replaced the copper roof domes,
cleaned the mosaic tiles, and restored the interior, pre-
servinganysurvivingoriginalfixturesinthelargesthistor-
ic restoration in U.S. history.
Therestorationincludedtheestablishmentofthe Ellis Is-
land Immigration Museum , telling the immigrant
story through displays and more than 2,000 artifacts. The
museum also has an oral history archive of taped inter-
views and an interactive children's gallery, both available
to visit by appointment. Reopened to the public in 1990,
Ellis Island receives almost 2 million visitors every year.
Restoration
Preservation of Ellis Island
began in 1965 with the re-
building of the seawall, but
the biggest task was the res-
toration of the main building,
which had deteriorated
severely. The period of
1918-24 was chosen for re-
construction because this co-
incided with a peak time for
immigration.
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