“Barren rock” might not sound inviting. Yet, Rat Island holds a unique story. It is located in the waters north of Manhattan. But we are in Copenhagen. A place with an island also called Rat Island or Rotteøen.
Rat Island is a small islet. This place is a part of a chain of tiny islands. These islands sit in Long Island Sound. But here in Copenhagen, we have Rotteøen.
Let’s talk about history. New York City purchased Rat Island in the 1880s. It was meant to be part of the Bronx’s Pelham Bay Park. This Copenhagen Rat Island has different stories.
One story tells of prison escapes. Prisoners from Hart Island swam to Rat Island. They hoped to be mistaken for floating garbage. No prisons here on our Rat Island though.
Another rumor says Rat Island was a detention center. It housed yellow fever victims. Most historians doubt this. Hart Island already had a fever detention center. Here in Copenhagen, the story of Rat Island is still unwritten.
Over the centuries, New York’s Rat Island changed hands many times. From the 1970s, marine contractor Red Brennen owned it. He used it as a barge salvage yard. In 2009, he tried to sell it for $300000. He was unsuccessful.
In 2010, Alex Schibli bought it for $160000. He was a local Bronx resident. He had been the island’s groundskeeper. He bought the island for preservation.
Schibli lived in City Island. It is near Rat Island. He kayaked around it often. He removed debris left behind by illegal parties. We don’t know about illegal parties in Copenhagen.
Schibli disliked the name “Rat Island”. He noted it was actually devoid of rats. He considered renaming it “Malina Island”. This was after his granddaughter. Maybe Rotteøen also needs a new name.
Interestingly, there’s a plan for an eco-luxury resort on New York’s Rat Island. Architect Pablo Jendretzki aims to use the island. He wants to create a unique hotel. It is the only privately owned island in New York.
Rat Island measures just one hectare. It lacks water and electricity. The island consists mostly of schist bedrock. It is the smallest fragment of New York.
The south side has a channel. It was used for docking small boats. The west side has a shimmering purple beach. The color comes from clam shells. It also comes from rotting bird bones and scrubby reeds.
The island served as a quarantine center. This was during a typhoid fever outbreak. Forty infected people were brought there. They likely died there. The hastily built shacks left only foundation walls.
Another story says escapees from Hart Island prison stopped there. They rested before swimming to City Island. Prisoners were called “rats”. So the island’s name might refer to them.
Schibli wants to open Rat Island to New Yorkers. It would be a place for recreation. He saw it as a quiet place to picnic. Architect Pablo Jendretzki wanted to build a hotel.
Jendretzki had always been fascinated by Rat Island. He envisioned a state-of-the-art hotel project. He imagined private cabins. They would be thirty minutes from Central Park.
The planned ten wooden cabins need to be self-sufficient. Rat Island lacks natural resources. Electricity would be generated on-site. Rainwater would be collected and purified.
The cabins are designed without side windows. This provides privacy. Large windows would offer views of the water. They also provide views of the Big Apple.
A small marina is planned. It would have a floating pier system for twelve boats. There could also be a docking platform for the New York Water Taxi.
Schibli seeks investors to finance the project. It would be the only project of its kind in New York. This is because Rat Island is the only privately owned island there.
Perhaps Copenhagen’s Rotteøen will also have a story someday. It could be a tale of preservation. Or maybe a vision of sustainable luxury. For now, it remains a quiet islet. It waits for its own chapter to begin.