The next time you step off the Tram, take a look around. You are sure to notice the impressive kiosk on the lawn directly in front of the station – that is, if you haven’t noticed it already. The early 20th-century design – white terracotta with green ornamental cast-iron trim – stands out markedly.

"How dare you step on my grass!" is the first thing Judy Berdy, President of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society and the mastermind behind the acquisition and renovation of the century-old kiosk, yells at me when I turn up on-site. She is only half-joking. Though seemingly plunked down almost as suddenly as Dorothy’s house into Oz, this 43-ton project has been years in the making. "Four long years," according to Berdy, who has been at the forefront from the beginning. So when she gets protective over the grass, which has been planted only hours earlier, I understand.

The Roosevelt Island Historical Society Visitor Center is set to open for the Fourth of July, when upwards of 4,000 eager fireworks gazers are expected to swarm the Island for the holiday. The 16-by-16-foot space will have desks manned mainly by volunteers, and rotating exhibits on the walls. Brochures and maps will be available for free, while various publications and Roosevelt Island souvenirs will be on sale.

It’s obvious this project has become a major part of Berdy’s life, and her work is not going unnoticed. As we talk, at least four people wave and come up the walk to comment on how great the kiosk is looking. "Great job, Judy!" "It looks marvelous, Judy!" People who may not know her personally pause on their way down the sidewalk to study the building and take in the banner hanging from the front railing, which announces the upcoming center. Serving as her own public-relations and advertising firm, Berdy hands out brochures by the fistful. "Here, take some!" she encourages a quiet Asian woman. "Give some to your friends!" she tells me. "Spread the word!"

"I’m just so shy and introverted," she says, joking. And it’s a good thing she’s not either, since the project began when Berdy attended a City Council meeting and spoke up. In July of 2003, Berdy happened to read an article in The New York Times regarding the question of what to do with the trolley kiosk, one of only two remaining in New York. The article mentioned that the New York City Department of Transportation was open to ideas. "A lot of people were talking about saving the kiosk, but it didn’t seem like anybody was going to do anything," says Berdy. "I just picked up the phone and went to a meeting."

It turned out "walking the walk" wasn’t as easy as it first seemed. Held up by bureaucratic hoops and major construction mishaps, the project has had its fair share of difficulties. In Berdy’s words, "it’s been epic."

To begin with, though the City agreed to fund the project, a check wasn’t cut right then and there. The City Council handed the proposal to the Department of Cultural Affairs, which in turn passed it off to the Department of Design and Construction, which then came up with the architectural plans and hired the contractors, who hired the sub-contractors, and so on and so forth. Berdy now has a grant and a permit, and cites Gifford Miller, the Island’s City Councilmember when the process began, Jessica Lappin, who succeeded Miller, and New York State Senator José Serrano as key players in getting the funds approved. To date, the project has cost over $300,000. The building is now RIOC property, and the costs of running the kiosk will come from Island public-purpose funds.

After approval and funding, the second challenge was bringing the building onto Roosevelt Island from its perch atop a hill at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. In January, 2005, it had to be hauled to the Island on a flatbed truck in the middle of the night – to avoid traffic and, hopefully, accidents. "It barely made it down the ramp coming off the bridge," Bendy recalls with horror, showing me photos of the mammoth cast-iron structure strapped onto the flatbed but hanging dangerously off both sides.

Originally, the kiosk was one of five visible entrances to the trolley car system, which transported New Yorkers over the Queensboro Bridge and back. Before the tram, F train, and the Roosevelt Island Bridge existed, trolley passengers would disembark on the Queensboro Bridge and access the Island, then known as Welfare Island, via a set of elevators from the lower level of the bridge. When the workers began digging the foundation for the kiosk, the first thing they hit was a thick stone elevator wall. They also found 1,000-pound elevator wheels, cables, pulleys and other debris. In all, it took seven full dumpster loads to excavate the site.

After the prep work was done, in January of this year, the real construction could begin. Unfortunately, a mistake in measurement led to a ramp that was too steep and too narrow, and a set of too-shallow steps that had too many stairs. By this time, it was March. Dreading the tedious process of finding a new contractor through the government, Berdy hired her own architect to redesign the site. This time, it looks as though they’ve got it right. Early this week, workers were placing and watering new sod.

The kiosk will be open six days a week, from noon to 6:00. Beyond providing visitor information, historical exhibits, and offering walking tours, it may also be available for events, and could soon be hosting live music, among other entertainments.

And if Berdy hadn’t picked up The Times that day? "I would have stayed four years younger!" she exclaims. Though she’s proud of what’s been accomplished, she notes that this is only the beginning: "Now we actually have to run it!" But is she nervous for opening day? She doesn’t seem to be: "After getting through construction, opening day will be a breeze!"

Though no official surveys have been conducted, Berdy estimates that over 80% of people on the Island on a Saturday afternoon are tourists. The point of the kiosk is to give them a sense of what there is to see, and to educate both guests and locals on the rich history of the Island. As far as Berdy is concerned, there are no cons to the addition. "It’s not like they [tourists] are coming to invade your house," she points out. She adds that almost everyone she has spoken with has voiced support of the visitor center, most echoing her thought that tourism on the Island "has always been a lost opportunity." The Historical Society also believes an increased tourist flow will boost local commerce. "If someone asks, ‘Hey, where can I get some good Chinese take-out?’ I can send them down the street and give the restaurant some business." Berdy pauses. "If they want pizza, I’ll have to say, ‘Go back to Manhattan’!"

The sun begins setting over Manhattan and Berdy points out how lovely the space will be in the afternoons and evenings when it’s shaded and cool. "Relaxing in a rocking chair with a cool drink, that’ll be me," she says contentedly.

She locks up carefully and gives the building a satisfied nod before turning away. Without thinking, I tramp carelessly over the newly planted grass down to the street. Sheepishly, I wait as Berdy walks carefully down the newly poured sidewalk to the curb.