New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
310 East 14th Street | also 224 2nd Avenue | East Village | built 1967
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The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.
Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.
- 1903
Helen Keller dedicates the Schermerhorn Pavilion of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
Helen Keller inaugurated the William C. Schermerhorn Pavilion at its dedication on May 11, 1903. The pavilion, on the Second Avenue side of the infirmary's historic building, was made possible by a large gift from the lawyer and philanthropist William C. Schermerhorn. Keller told the crowd that appeals on the hospital's behalf would be unnecessary if people could look into the darkness the blind see.
Source: Village Preservation
- 1915
The Eye and Ear Infirmary buys lots on East 14th Street, including number 310
The infirmary had occupied its Second Avenue site at East 13th Street since 1856. In 1915 it extended its holdings to East 14th Street by acquiring the adjoining lots at 310, 312 and 314, and later number 308. The 14th Street frontage is where the hospital's North Building would open decades later.
Source: nyee.edu
- 1965
Rogers & Butler design a ten-story addition to the Eye and Ear Infirmary
Architects Rogers & Butler designed a ten-story addition to the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary at the corner of Second Avenue and 14th Street for owner Gordon S. Braislin. The bottom two stories run dark-gray cladding to the street line, while six set-back upper stories carry fourteen bays of plain punched windows.
- 1968
The infirmary opens its North Building on East 14th Street with 207 beds and ten operating suites
The infirmary dedicates the new North Building in 1967 and opens it in 1968 with 207 beds and ten operating suites. The original South Building is renovated at the same time for the eye clinic, subspecialty services, a lecture hall and private offices for physicians. A staff residence building follows in 1974 at 321 East 13th Street.
Source: nyee.edu
- 2013
The infirmary merges into the Mount Sinai Health System
The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, which described itself as America's first specialty hospital when it was founded in 1820, merged with Mount Sinai Medical Center in 2013. It was renamed the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, affiliating with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2023
A state health panel falls short of approving Mount Sinai's plan for the infirmary and its land
The infirmary owns two buildings and a vacant lot in the East Village, including this site at 14th Street and Second Avenue, and the property was reported to be worth as much as $70 million if sold for apartments. In February 2023 a state health planning council votes 11-6 to approve Mount Sinai Beth Israel's merger proposal, three votes short of what its rules require. One member says a real estate developer would be eager to get the site.
Source: evgrieve.com
- 2024
Officials and disability advocates rally to landmark the infirmary's historic building
In October 2024, elected officials, preservationists, disability advocates, doctors, staff, patients and alumni rallied for landmark designation of the infirmary's historic building at 13th Street and Second Avenue. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, State Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Councilmember Christopher Marte joined the event. Village Preservation had pressed for two and a half years for it to become the city's first landmark honoring disability history, while the Landmarks Preservation Commission had said only that the site may merit consideration.
Source: Village Preservation
Further reading
- New York Eye and Ear InfirmaryWikipedia
- 310 East 14th Street; 226 Second AvenueVillage Preservation: East Village Building Blocks
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