Editing Ellis Island (section)

====Early expansions====
[[File:Arriving at Ellis Island LCCN2014710704.jpg|thumb|[[European emigration|European immigrants]] arriving at Ellis Island, 1915]]
The new immigration station opened on December 17, 1900, without ceremony. On that day, 2,251 immigrants were processed.<ref name="HSR Main p. 13" /><ref name="n32308238">{{cite news |title=Again at Ellis Island |date=December 17, 1900 |work=New-York Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32308238/ |access-date=June 5, 2019 |page=3 |via=newspapers.com {{open access}} |archive-date=March 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329133319/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-again-at-ellis-island/32308238/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Stakely p. 40">{{harvnb|ps=.|Stakely|2003|p=40}}</ref> Almost immediately, additional projects commenced to improve the main structure, including an entrance canopy, baggage conveyor, and railroad ticket office. The kitchen/laundry and powerhouse started construction in May 1900 and were completed by the end of 1901.<ref name="Stakely p. 40" /><ref name="Robins Urbanelli p. 37">{{harvnb|ps=.|Robins|Urbanelli|1993|p=37}}</ref> A ferry house was also built between islands 1 and 2 {{Circa|1901}}.<ref name="Stakely p. 44" /> The hospital, originally slated to be opened in 1899, was not completed until November 1901, mainly due to various funding delays and construction disputes.<ref name="Stakely p. 43">{{harvnb|ps=.|Stakely|2003|p=43}}</ref> The facilities proved barely able to handle the flood of immigrants that arrived, and as early as 1903, immigrants had to remain in their transatlantic boats for several days due to inspection backlogs.<ref name="HSR Main p. 15">{{harvnb|ps=.|Belle|Finegold|1988|p=15}}</ref><ref name="Stakely p. 41" /> Several wooden buildings were erected by 1903, including waiting rooms and a 700-bed barracks,<ref name="Stakely p. 41">{{harvnb|ps=.|Stakely|2003|p=41}}</ref> and by 1904, over a million dollars' worth of improvements were proposed.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1904/01/16/archives/million-for-ellis-island-secretary-of-commerce-asks-that-sum-for.html |title=Million for Ellis Island; Secretary of Commerce Asks That Sum for Extensive Improvements. |date=January 16, 1904 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 6, 2019 |archive-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818064501/https://www.nytimes.com/1904/01/16/archives/million-for-ellis-island-secretary-of-commerce-asks-that-sum-for.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The hospital was expanded from 125 to 250 beds in February 1907, and a new psychopathic ward debuted in November of the same year. Also constructed was an administration building adjacent to the hospital.<ref name="Stakely p. 44">{{harvnb|ps=.|Stakely|2003|p=44}}</ref><ref name="Robins Urbanelli p. 25">{{harvnb|ps=.|Robins|Urbanelli|1993|p=25}}</ref>

Immigration commissioner [[William Williams (commissioner)|William Williams]] made substantial changes to Ellis Island's operations, and during his tenure from 1902 to 1905 and 1909–1913, Ellis Island processed its peak number of immigrants.<ref name="HSR Main p. 15" /> Williams also made changes to the island's appearance, adding plants and grading paths upon the once-barren landscape of Ellis Island.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Stakely|2003|pp=45–46}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Ellis Island Improved; Commissioner Williams's Pleasing Landscape Gardening |date=July 12, 1903 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1903/07/12/archives/ellis-island-improved-commissioner-williamss-pleasing-landscape.html |access-date=June 6, 2019 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607023943/https://www.nytimes.com/1903/07/12/archives/ellis-island-improved-commissioner-williamss-pleasing-landscape.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Under Williams's supervision, a {{cvt|4.75|acre|ha|adj=on}} third island was built to accommodate a proposed contagious-diseases ward, separated from existing facilities by {{cvt|200|ft|m}} of water.<ref name="Stakely pp. 48–49">{{harvnb|ps=.|Stakely|2003|pp=48–49}}</ref><ref name="EI-EIS p. 5" /><ref name="Robins Urbanelli p. 25" /> Island 3, as it was called, was located to the south of island 2 and separated from that island by a now-infilled ferry basin.<ref name="EI-EIS p. 5" /> The government bought the underwater area for island 3 from New Jersey in 1904,<ref name="Stakely pp. 48–49" /><ref>{{Cite news |title=New Island in the Bay; Government Buys Plot Under Water Adjoining Ellis Island |date=December 18, 1904 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1904/12/18/archives/new-island-in-the-bay-government-buys-plot-under-water-adjoining.html |access-date=June 6, 2019 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607013657/https://www.nytimes.com/1904/12/18/archives/new-island-in-the-bay-government-buys-plot-under-water-adjoining.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and a contract was awarded in April 1905.<ref name="Stakely pp. 48–49" /> The islands were all connected via a cribwalk on their western sides (later covered with wood canopy), giving Ellis Island an overall "E"-shape.<ref name="NPS-Map" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Robins|Urbanelli|1993|p=24}}</ref> Upon the completion of island 3 in 1906, Ellis Island covered {{cvt|20.25|acre|ha}}.<ref name="Stakely p. 51">{{harvnb|ps=.|Stakely|2003|p=51}}</ref> A baggage and dormitory building was completed {{Circa|1908–1909}},<ref name="HSR Main p. 15" /><ref name="Robins Urbanelli p. 25" /><ref name="Stakely p. 57">{{harvnb|ps=.|Stakely|2003|p=57|pp=57–58}}</ref> and the main hospital was expanded in 1909.<ref name="Stakely pp. 62-63">{{harvnb|Stakely|2003|ps=.|pp=62–63}}</ref> Alterations were made to the registry building and dormitories as well, but even this was insufficient to accommodate the high volume of immigrants.<ref name="HSR Main p. 162">{{harvnb|ps=.|Belle|Finegold|1988|p=16}}</ref> In 1911, Williams alleged that Congress had allocated too little for improvements to Ellis Island,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/07/11/archives/needs-of-ellis-island-commissioner-williams-says-congress-gives-too.html |title=Needs of Ellis Island; Commissioner Williams Says Congress Gives Too Little Money for Improvements |date=July 11, 1911 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607023846/https://www.nytimes.com/1911/07/11/archives/needs-of-ellis-island-commissioner-williams-says-congress-gives-too.html |url-status=live }}</ref> even though the improvement budget that year was $868,000.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2764047/ |title=14,500 Aliens Sent From Ellis Island |date=November 13, 1911 |work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |access-date=June 5, 2019 |page=7 |via=newspapers.com {{open access}} |archive-date=March 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329133342/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-baggage-and-dor/2764047/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:(Inspection room, Ellis Island, New York, N.Y.) (LOC).jpg|thumb|The main building's registry room]]

Additional improvements and routine maintenance work were completed in the early 1910s.<ref name="Stakely p. 57" /><ref name="HSR Main p. 162" /> A greenhouse was built in 1910,<ref name="Stakely p. 57" /><ref name="Robins Urbanelli p. 702">{{harvnb|ps=.|Robins|Urbanelli|1993|p=70}}</ref> and the contagious-diseases ward on island 3 opened the following June.<ref name="Stakely p. 65">{{harvnb|ps=.|Stakely|2003|p=65}}</ref><ref name="HSR Main p. 162" /> In addition, the incinerator was replaced in 1911,<ref name="Stakely pp. 62-63" /><ref name="Robins Urbanelli p. 25" /> and a recreation center operated by the [[American Red Cross]] was also built on island 2 by 1915.<ref name="Stakely pp. 62-63" /><ref name="Robins Urbanelli p. 702" /> These facilities generally followed the design set by Tilton and Boring.<ref name="Robins Urbanelli p. 25" /> When the [[Black Tom explosion]] occurred on Black Tom Island in 1916, the complex suffered moderate damage; though all immigrants were evacuated safely, the main building's roof collapsed, and windows were broken. The main building's roof was replaced with a [[Guastavino tile|Guastavino-tiled]] arched ceiling by 1918.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-tom-wwi.htm |title=Domestic Sabotage: The Explosion at Black Tom Island |date=July 30, 1916 |website=NPS.gov Homepage |publisher=U.S. National Park Service |access-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607144540/https://www.nps.gov/articles/black-tom-wwi.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=$45,000,000 Loss From Explosion In Wide Radius |date=July 31, 1916 |work=New-York Tribune |page=3 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24361048/ |access-date=June 5, 2019 |via=newspapers.com {{open access}} |archive-date=March 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329133245/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune/24361048/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="HSR Main p. 17">{{harvnb|ps=.|Belle|Finegold|1988|p=17}}</ref> The immigration station was temporarily closed during [[World War I]] in 1917–1919, during which the facilities were used as a jail for suspected enemy combatants, and later as a treatment center for wounded American soldiers. Immigration inspections were conducted aboard ships or at docks.<ref name="EI-EIS p. 5" /><ref name="Stakely pp. 62-63" /><ref name="nyt19180224">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1918/02/24/archives/ellis-island-war-hospital.html |title=Ellis Island War Hospital |date=February 24, 1918 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607023648/https://www.nytimes.com/1918/02/24/archives/ellis-island-war-hospital.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="HSR Main p. 17" /> During the war, immigration processing at Ellis Island declined by 97%, from 878,000 immigrants per year in 1914 to 26,000 per year in 1919.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Unrau|1984c|pp=734–735}}</ref>

Ellis Island's immigration station was reopened in 1920, and processing had rebounded to 560,000 immigrants per year by 1921.<ref name="EI-EIS p. 5" /><ref name="HSR Main p. 18">{{harvnb|ps=.|Belle|Finegold|1988|p=18}}</ref> There were still ample complaints about the inadequate condition of Ellis Island's facilities.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1920/12/06/archives/plea-to-cure-evils-at-ellis-island-enlarged-buildings-and-larger.html |title=Plea To Cure Evils At Ellis Island; Enlarged Buildings and Larger Staff Asked to Handle Immigrants |date=December 6, 1920 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607144544/https://www.nytimes.com/1920/12/06/archives/plea-to-cure-evils-at-ellis-island-enlarged-buildings-and-larger.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Getting the Right Start on the Road to Citizenship; Americanization's First Opportunity Is At Ellis Island |last=Pitney |first=Fred B. |date=August 15, 1920 |work=New-York Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32376856/ |access-date=October 7, 2022 |pages=51, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32376971/ 52] |via=newspapers.com {{open access}} |archive-date=March 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329133213/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-getting-the-right-start/32376856/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, despite a request for $5.6&nbsp;million in appropriations in 1921,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1921/01/15/archives/asks-5600000-for-ellis-island.html |title=Asks $5,600,000 for Ellis Island. |date=January 15, 1921 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607144536/https://www.nytimes.com/1921/01/15/archives/asks-5600000-for-ellis-island.html |url-status=live }}</ref> aid was slow to materialize, and initial improvement work was restricted to smaller projects such as the infilling of the basin between islands 2 and 3.<ref name="Stakely p. 75">{{harvnb|ps=.|Stakely|2003|p=75}}</ref><ref name="HSR Main p. 18" /> Other improvements included rearranging features such as staircases to improve pedestrian flow.<ref name="Stakely p. 75" /> These projects were supported by president [[Calvin Coolidge]], who in 1924 requested that Congress approve $300,000 in appropriations for the island.<ref name="Stakely p. 75" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1924/01/23/archives/300000-asked-for-ellis-island-president-transmits-to-congress-the.html |title=$300,000 Asked for Ellis Island; President Transmits to Congress the Budget Director's Items to Remedy Conditions. |date=January 23, 1924 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607144539/https://www.nytimes.com/1924/01/23/archives/300000-asked-for-ellis-island-president-transmits-to-congress-the.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The allocations were not received until the late 1920s.<ref name="Stakely p. 75" />