<P> The New York House of Refuge was the first juvenile reformatory established in the United States . The reformatory was opened in 1824 on the Bowery in Manhattan, New York City, destroyed by a fire in 1839, and relocated first to Twenty - Third Street and then, in 1854, to Randalls Island . </P> <P> Through its 111 - year history the reformatory was privately funded, receiving only guidance, supervision and additional funding from state agencies . </P>

When did the house of refuge in new york first open