Ferry Building Tours
About the Exhibition and Public Tour of the Ferry Building:
Beginning in 1901, the U. S. Public Health Service hospital on Ellis Island’s south side inspected and treated 1.2 million immigrants for everything from broken bones to diphtheria and mental illness. As immigration slowed due to world events and national legislation, the buildings on Ellis Island’s south side were adapted for other uses until the island closed in 1954.The exhibition Future in the Balance: Immigration, Public Health and the Ellis Island Hospitals tells the story of the hospitals through the voices of immigrant patients, doctors, nurses and support staff, and illustrates the history of the buildings through photographs, personal stories, oral histories and artifacts. The exhibition explores the hospital’s initial mandate to treat ill and infirm immigrants through to the buildings’ later uses by the United States Army and Coast Guard.
Docents will lead you to the Ferry Building, where you will explore the architecture, history, and uses of this building. An interactive tour continues into the exhibition and docents discuss with the participants the medical inspection process and its legislative precedent, the care of the patients by the medical staff, how the US Army and Coast Guard used the buildings on the south side, and Save Ellis Island’s plans to rehabilitate the buildings as the Ellis Island Institute and Conference Center.
Public Tours
Visiting the Restored Ferry Building
The Ellis Island Institute offers hour-long guided tours of the restored Ferry Building and exhibition Future in the Balance: Immigration, Public Health, and the Ellis Island Hospitals for the public twice daily on several weekdays and weekends a month, as scheduling permits. Tours start from the Information Desk on the first floor of the Immigration Museum. The Ferry Building and exhibit are only available by guided tour, so please be sure to visit the information booth when you arrive to sign up for a tour, as space is limited. Please refer to the Calendar for a current schedule.
Scheduling a Group Tour
We welcome groups of eight or more to the Ferry Building and exhibit “Future in the Balance: Immigration, Public Health and the Ellis Island Hospitals” by reservation only. Please call 973-347-8400 x25 or 800-852-7899 (TTY/TDD) three weeks in advance to schedule a guided tour for your group. Cost is $5 per person.
