(Photo: Christopher Payne/Benrubi Gallery)

North Brother Island, off the coast of the South Bronx, has always been a fearsome place. It earned that reputation as the city’s quarantine during the age of tuberculosis and cholera�Typhoid Mary lived here on and off for decades�and later as a drug-rehab center. It was the site of the General Slocum steamship fire in 1904, New York’s worst disaster until 9/11. But a group of City Council members visited in October to consider it for potential renovation. The hurdles, however, are numerous: The buildings are derelict, and there is no transit link to the city. Instead, Councilman Mark Levine, chair of the Parks Committee, is proposing a plan to preserve the sanitarium ruins and make the island safe for wildlife and history tours. There’s plenty of new development in this city. Our own Pompeii�now that would be lovely.