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Governors Island

January 01, 1970

For other uses, see Governors Island (disambiguation).

Governors Island is a 172-acre (70 ha) island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately 800 yards (730 m) south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the 400-yard-wide (370 m) Buttermilk Channel. The National Park Service administers a small portion of the north end of the island as the Governors Island National Monument, including two former military fortifications named Fort Jay and Castle Williams. The Trust for Governors Island operates the remaining 150 acres (61 ha), including 52 historic buildings, as a public park. About 103 acres (42 ha) of the land area is fill, added in the early 1900s to the south of the original island.

Governors Island
Paggank
Noten Eylandt
Nutten Island
Governors Island viewed from One World Trade Center in 2017
Location in New York City
Etymology
  • "Paggank" and "Noten Eylandt" from nut trees
  • "Governors Island" from New York colonial governors
Geography
LocationNew York Harbor
Coordinates40°41′29″N 74°0′58″W / 40.69139°N 74.01611°W / 40.69139; -74.01611
Area172 acres (70 ha)
Highest elevation70 ft (21 m)
Highest pointOutlook Hill
Administration
StateNew York
CityNew York City
BoroughManhattan
Demographics
Population0[1] (2010)
Additional information
Time zone
 • Summer (DST)
ZIP Code10004
Official websiteThe Trust for Governors Island website
The Governors Island National Monument website
Governors Island
NYC Landmark No. 1946
LocationNew York City, New York, U.S.
Coordinates40°41′29″N 74°0′58″W / 40.69139°N 74.01611°W / 40.69139; -74.01611
Area172 acres (70 ha)
Architectural styleColonial Revival, Greek Revival
Visitation800,000 (2018)
NRHP reference No.85002435
NYSRHP No.06101.019189
NYCL No.1946
Significant dates
Added to NRHPFebruary 4, 1985[4]
Designated NHLFebruary 4, 1985[5]
Designated NMONJanuary 19, 2001[6]
Designated NYSRHPFebruary 4, 1985[2]
Designated NYCLJune 18, 1996[3]

The native Lenape originally referred to Governors Island as Paggank ("nut island") because of the area's rich collection of chestnut, hickory, and oak trees; it is believed that this space was originally used for seasonal foraging and hunting. The name was translated into the Dutch Noten Eylandt, then Anglicized into Nutten Island, before being renamed Governor's Island by the late 18th century. The island's use as a military installation dates to 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, when Continental Army troops raised defensive works on the island. From 1783 to 1966, the island was a United States Army post, serving mainly as a training ground for troops, though it also served as a strategic defense point during wartime. The island then served as a major United States Coast Guard installation until 1996. Following its decommissioning as a military base, there were several plans for redeveloping Governors Island. It was sold to the public for a nominal sum in 2003, and opened for public use in 2005.

Governors Island has become a popular destination for the public, attracting more than 800,000 visitors per year as of 2018. In addition to the 43-acre (17 ha) public park, Governors Island includes free arts and cultural events, as well as recreational activities. The New York Harbor School, a public high school with a maritime-focused curriculum, has been on the island since 2010. The island can only be accessed by ferries from Brooklyn and Manhattan, and there are no full-time residents as of 2022. It was accessible to the public only during the summer until 2021, when the island started operating year-round.

Etymology edit

The Native Lenape refer to the island as Paggank,[7][8] Pagganck,[9] or Pagganack.[10][11]: 9  All of these names literally translate to "Nut Island", likely in reference to the many chestnut, hickory, and oak trees on the island.[7][10][11]: 9 [12] The Dutch explorer Adriaen Block called it Noten Eylandt, a translation,[7][8] and this was Anglicized into Nutten Island, a name that continued to be used until the late 18th century.[9] The name "Governor's Island", with an apostrophe, stems from the British colonial era, when the colonial assembly reserved the island for the exclusive use of New York's royal governors.[13][14] The current name without an apostrophe was made official in 1784.[9]

History edit

Colonial period edit

 
Nieu Nederlandt ship portrait

Governors Island was initially much smaller than it is today. It had many inlets along its shoreline, and groves of hardwood trees, from which the island's native name is derived.[15] There is insufficient evidence as to whether Governors Island contained any permanent Lenape settlements, or was used mainly for hunting and gathering.[10] In 1524, the explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano was perhaps the first European to observe what was then called Paggank.[16] One hundred years later, in May 1624, Noten Eylandt was the landing place of the first settlers in New Netherland. They departed from Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic with the ship Nieu Nederlandt under the command of Cornelius Jacobsen May and disembarked on the island with thirty families in order to take possession of the New Netherland territory.[17] For this reason, the New York State Senate and Assembly recognize Governors Island as the birthplace of the state of New York, and also certify the island as the place on which the planting of the "legal-political guaranty of tolerance onto the North American continent" took place.[18]

In 1633, the fifth director of New Netherland, Wouter van Twiller, arrived with a 104-man regiment on Noten Eylandt, and later commandeered the island for his personal use.[10] He secured his farm by drawing up a deed on June 16, 1637, which was signed by two Lenape leaders, Cacapeteyno and Pewihas, on behalf of their community at Keshaechquereren, situated in present-day New Jersey.[19][16] Van Twiller cultivated a farm on the island, even building a windmill on the land, until he returned to the Netherlands in 1642.[10] The windmill was demolished possibly by 1648, when colonial governor Peter Stuyvesant burned it down after seeing it in inoperable condition.[20] Following this, Noten Eylandt is said to have been used as a recreation ground by the Dutch between 1652 and 1664.[13] There is little other documentation on the use of the island during the Dutch colonial period, other than the fact that it has remained in public ownership since van Twiller left New Netherland.[15]

New Netherland was conditionally ceded to the English in 1664, and the English renamed the settlement New York in June 1665.[21][15] By 1674, the British had total control of the island.[22][16] At this point, the eastern shore of the island was separated from Brooklyn by a shallow channel that could be easily traversed at low tide. This became known as Buttermilk Channel, since farm women would use the channel to travel to Manhattan island in boats and sell buttermilk.[13] By 1680, Nutten Island contained a single house and pasture to be used by colonial governors for raising sheep, cattle, and horses.[13]

The British started calling Nutten Island "Governor's Island" (with an apostrophe) in 1698 and reserved the island for the exclusive use of colonial governors.[23][13][24] Four years later, when Edward Hyde, Lord Cornbury took office as New York colonial governor, he built a mansion on Governor's Island, though evidence of this mansion no longer exists.[15][13] Later, governor William Cosby used the island as a preserve to breed and hunt pheasants.[15][25] Other governors leased out the island for profit,[23] and for a short period around 1710, Governor's Island was designated as a quarantine station for Palatine (German) refugees arriving from England on their way to Germantown on the Hudson. Otherwise, Governor's Island mostly remained untouched until the American Revolutionary War started in 1775.[15][26]

American Revolution edit

 
A house in Nolan Park

The first plans for fortifications on Governor's Island were made in 1741, in anticipation of a war with France, but the fortifications were never built.[27] The island was first used by a military encampment in 1755 during the French and Indian War, when Sir William Pepperell led the 51st Regiment of Foot onto Governor's Island.[27][28][29][30] Other regiments soon followed,[30] and by the mid-1760s, there was documentation of a fort on the island as well as several surrounding earthworks.[27] Further plans to improve the fortifications on Governor's Island were devised in 1766 by British military engineer John Montresor.[31][32][33] These plans were never realized, even though the British had asked for funding for these fortifications in 1774.[31][34]

After the American Revolution started, Continental Army General George Washington assigned General Charles Lee to create a defensive plan for New York Harbor.[31] Lee's plan called for several defensive forts in Brooklyn, in Manhattan's Battery, and on Governor's Island.[34][35] On the night of April 9, 1776, Continental Army General Israel Putnam came to the island to add earthworks and 40 cannons, in anticipation of the return of the British, who had fled New York City the year before.[34][35][36][37] The island's defenses continued to be improved over the following months,[34][38][39] and on July 12, 1776, the defenses engaged HMS Phoenix and HMS Rose as they made a run up the Hudson River to the Tappan Zee.[34][35][39] Even though the British were able to travel as far north as the Tappan Zee, the colonists' cannon inflicted enough damage to make the British commanders cautious of entering the East River,[40] and the fortifications contributed to the success of Washington's retreat from Brooklyn to Manhattan after the Battle of Long Island, when the British Army attempted to take Brooklyn Heights during the largest battle of the war, around August 27, 1776.[38][39][40][41]

In what appeared to be a strategic miscalculation, the rebels' munitions caused little to no damage to the British ships that were waiting some 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream.[41][42][43] Two days after the British withdrawal to Manhattan, the Continental Army forces withdrew from Brooklyn and Governor's Island, and the British took back Governor's Island. From September 2 to 14, 1776, the new British garrison engaged volleys with Washington's guns on the Battery in front of Fort George in Manhattan.[44][42] On September 6, the Americans' unsuccessful attempt to detonate the submersible Turtle at the island was the first documented submarine attack in history.[43][45] The fort, along with the rest of New York City, was held by the British for the rest of the war until Evacuation Day in 1783.[42][43][45] During this time, the British continued to improve Governor's Island's defenses.[45][46]

Late 18th through 19th centuries edit

Late 18th century to War of 1812 edit

At the end of the Revolution, Governor's Island was transferred from the Crown to the state of New York. The island saw no military usage, instead being used as a hotel and racetrack.[38] The quality of the fortifications, which were mostly made of earth, began to decline.[38][47] The name of Nutten Island was changed to "Governors Island" by act of the United States legislature on March 29, 1784.[48][9] Governors Island was conveyed to the New York State Board of Regents in 1790 "for the encouragement of education ... unless needed for military purposes."[23][48] Little else is known about the island's use during this time.[49]

 
Castle Williams

By the mid-1790s, increased military tensions renewed an interest in fortifying New York Harbor, and a U.S. congressional committee had drawn a map of possible locations for the First System of fortifications to protect major American urban centers.[49][50][51] Governors Island was one of the first locations where defenses were built.[52] As such, the agreement with the Board of Regents was voided in 1794,[23][48] and some $250,000 in federal funding was allocated to the construction of defenses on Governors Island in 1794 and 1795.[49][50][51] Fort Jay was built starting in 1794 on the site of the earlier Revolutionary War earthworks.[51][53][45] Work proceeded despite concerns that Fort Jay's low elevation made it vulnerable to being captured.[54] Fort Jay, a square four-bastioned fort, was made of earthworks and timber, two impermanent materials that deteriorated soon after the threat of war went away, and by 1805 it had significantly degraded.[53] Ownership of the island was transferred to the federal government on February 15, 1800.[48][55]

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Williams, placed in charge of New York Harbor defenses in the early 1800s, proposed several new fortifications around the harbor as part of the Second System of fortifications. Unlike the First System defenses, the new fortifications were to be made of masonry to preclude deterioration, and they included increased firepower and improved weaponry.[53][56] Fort Jay was rebuilt from 1806 to 1809 in its current five-pointed star shape,[55][56][57][58] and was renamed Fort Columbus shortly afterward.[57][58][55] A second major fortification, Castle Williams, was a circular battery built between 1807 and 1811 on a rocky shoal extending from the northwest corner of the island, to the north of Fort Columbus.[55][56][58][59] A third fortification, the South Battery or Half-Moon Battery (now building 298), was built to the south of Fort Columbus on the island's eastern shore in 1812.[46][60][61] The War of 1812 commenced shortly after the completion of these defenses, though the fortifications never saw combat.[60][62]

Mid-19th century and Civil War edit

After the War of 1812, the island did not see much development. Rather, it was used for garrisoning troops starting c.  1821.[63][64] The troops garrisoned on the island were deployed to wars four times in the rest of the 19th century.[65] The New York Arsenal, a military division that dealt with artillery and was separate from the Army, moved to the island in 1832 and started constructing an armory building three years later.[66][67][68][64] Construction of structures for the Arsenal continued for several decades. To distinguish the Arsenal's and the Army's structures, the former's buildings were designed in the Greek Revival style,[68][69][70] such as the Admiral's House built in 1843.[68]

 
Admiral's House, completed in 1843

The Army still retained a military presence on the island, and in the 1830s, it constructed several new buildings, such as officers' barracks and a hospital.[68][69] The Army also added masonry seawalls[71] and opened an "administrative and training center" starting from the 1850s.[22][63][71] The erection of the recruiting center and barracks resulted in the creation of Nolan Park, to the east for Fort Columbus.[71] Together with these changes, a grassy area was cleared between Fort Columbus and Castle Williams to allow better vantage points should defensive attacks be launched.[72][73] Other Army structures included a muster station that operated throughout the Mexican–American War and American Civil War,[22][74] as well as a music school.[22] Still, most of the troops continued to live in tents.[71] To accommodate Army personnel's religious requirements, a small Gothic Revival chapel for Protestants was built on Governors Island in 1846.[75][76][77]

No new permanent buildings were built specifically for the Civil War,[72] though a temporary hospital was built.[78] The hospital treated victims of cholera and yellow fever in epidemics during the 1850s and 1860s.[68] During the war, Governors Island was used mostly as a support facility to muster soldiers, though the fortifications were still operational.[74][72] Castle Williams held Confederate prisoners of war and Fort Columbus held captured Confederate officers.[22][56][63][72] The austere accommodations frequently held over a thousand prisoners,[72] and they frequently escaped and swam across to "mainland" Manhattan.[73][74] In 1863, in the midst of the New York City draft riots, protesters unsuccessfully attempted to take over the island when Army troops were deployed to Manhattan.[78][79][65]

After the war, Castle Williams was used as a military stockade and became the East Coast counterpart to military prisons at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and Alcatraz Island, California.[22] Infrastructure and facilities were repaired, unused structures were destroyed, and in 1875 a new munitions warehouse was built north of Fort Columbus.[80] Significant development occurred on the formerly undeveloped northern and eastern sides of the island: the old wood-frame barracks outside Fort Columbus were replaced, and new officers' quarters were built in Nolan Park, east of Fort Columbus.[81] The seawalls on the north and west sides of the island were rehabilitated or extended to create additional buildable land.[82] During this period of expansion, in 1870, a particularly severe yellow fever epidemic occurred on the island, sickening hundreds and requiring a quarantine.[79][83][84] The structures that hosted yellow fever patients were later demolished.[83] Despite these changes, in 1873 Fort Columbus and Castle Williams were still described as operable.[85]

In 1878, Fort Columbus became a major Army administrative center, and Army officers' families started to move in.[86][22] Other recreational options on the island were tennis courts in Nolan Park; a South Battery community garden; golf links; and a promenade for bicycling.[87] A cemetery was also present on the island, and initially hosted yellow fever and cholera victims, but interments were halted in 1878 and all of the remains were moved to Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn by 1886.[88] The secluded ambiance of Governors Island was altered somewhat when the first solid waste incinerator in the U.S. was built on Governors Island in 1885.[89] Subsequent construction in the 1890s and 1900s added several officers' residences to the island.[68] Starting in 1888,[90][91] there was a movement to convert Governors Island into a public park for Lower Manhattan residents. Though park proponents argued that Central Park and Prospect Park were too far away for Lower Manhattan residents, the plan did not succeed.[90]

Army operation in the 20th century edit

Expansion and World War I edit

 
Army battalion on Governors Island, 1918

The Army started planning to expand the island in the late 1880s and the 1890s. The U.S. Secretary of War, Elihu Root, contemplated such an expansion so that the island would have enough space to accommodate a full battalion.[90][92] Using material excavated from the first line of the New York City Subway, the Army Corps of Engineers added 4.787 million cubic yards (3,660,000 m3) of fill, extending Governors Island to the south.[90][93][94][92] The work was mostly finished by 1909-1910[95][96] and was declared complete by January 1913.[74] When the project was finished, it expanded the island's total area by 103 acres (0.42 km2), to 172 acres (0.70 km2).[74][97][98]

Secretary Root also retained the services of Beaux-Arts architect Charles Follen McKim to redesign nearly every structure on Governors Island,[95] as well as create a plan for the island's topography.[99][95] McKim presented plans in 1902 and 1907 to tear down all of the old buildings and provide for symmetrical building layouts.[96][95] These plans were never executed.[95]

In addition, Root changed Fort Columbus's name back to its historic title, Fort Jay, in 1904.[46][55] The Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion replaced the former chapel in 1907.[100][101][74]

The newly constructed southern part of Governors Island was initially used as an airstrip. In the world's first over-water flight in October 1909, Wilbur Wright flew from Governors Island, over the west side of Manhattan, then back to the island.[76][95][102] The following year, Glenn Curtiss completed a flight from Albany to New York City by landing on the island.[76][103] An aviation training center even operated from 1916 to 1917.[104] In honor of these aviators, the Early Birds Monument at Liggett Hall was dedicated in 1954.[104][105]

Despite the island's expansion, little development happened immediately,[95] but significant construction occurred during World War I.[76][98][106] Governors Island is sometimes mentioned as the location of the United States' first overt military action during the war, on April 6, 1917, when troops from the island captured German vessels in New York Harbor minutes after the U.S. Congress declared war on Germany.[98][107] Barracks, tents, and temporary wooden buildings were built on the original northern portion of the island, while the new southern section housed warehouses and other ancillary facilities which collectively stored $75 million worth of material.[76][98][106] The structures were all connected by the 8-mile (13 km) Governors Island Railroad, which consisted of numerous sidings for shunting.[76][98][108] The railroad had been reduced to 1.5 miles (2.4 km) and was dubbed the "World's Shortest Railroad" by the time it was torn up in 1931.[109] A buried railroad truck was dug up on the island in 2014, possibly the remains of a handcar.[110]

Mid-20th century edit

 
Liggett Hall or Building 400 (1928), former barracks

In 1920, upon the end of World War I, the Army restructured its internal organization so that Governors Island was now the headquarters of the Second Corps Area.[111] Few structures were built immediately after the end of the war, though the Army maintained the existing buildings and continued to utilize the island as a military prison.[112] Some of the wooden barracks structures deteriorated rapidly, prompting objections from congressional delegations.[113] A school for Army soldiers' children was opened on Governors Island in 1926.[114]

In 1927, General Hanson Edward Ely commenced a major program to build several mostly Georgian revival structures on Governors Island.[93] The new structures included a movie theater, a YMCA, an "officer's club", and a public school.[93][22] The three-story Liggett Hall (also known as Building 400), a military barracks spanning nearly the entire width of the original island, was built on the site of former World War I warehouses, and was one of the world's largest barracks upon its completion in 1928.[113][93][73] Afterward, the Army hired McKim, Mead & White to build a "barracks district" near Liggett Hall.[115] During the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration landscaped much of the island and reinforced many existing structures, hiring up to 5,000 workers in the process.[116][117][118] Some of the WPA's projects included the restoration of the General's House,[119] as well as the eradication of invasive Japanese beetles.[118][120] The Army also incrementally repaved Governors Island's roads so they could accommodate modern vehicles, and constructed garages.[121]

 
The Army YMCA

An Army community developed on Governors Island during the mid-20th century.[22][122] The island had three chapels in addition to the movie theater, YMCA, and "officer's club".[22] Recreation was also popular; one common sport was polo, a relic from the 19th century when travel on the island was by horseback. In 1920, a polo playing field was established on the island's Parade Ground.[122] Though a golf course had been built in 1903 near Fort Jay,[123] a new polo-and-golf course called the Governors Island Golf Course was built circa 1925–1926.[122] The course was located on the grounds of Fort Jay,[124] and was sometimes called the "world's crookedest" golf course due to its enclosed nature in a confined space.[125] Tennis courts and swimming pools were also present on Governors Island. Different groupings of recreational areas were generally located according to military hierarchy.[126] The number of houses of worship increased as a Roman Catholic church was built in 1942, followed by a synagogue in 1959.[74]

World War II resulted in another hierarchical change on Governors Island, turning it into an administrative center.[126] In 1939, the island became the headquarters of the U.S. First Army, and two years later the Eastern Defense Command was also established on the island.[111][126] In conjunction, 72 temporary structures were erected on the island.[126] Governors Island became a U.S. Army recruitment center in 1941,[127] and was processing 1,500 recruits daily by 1942. This volume proved to be overwhelming due to the island's isolation.[126] In October 1942 the recruitment station was moved to Grand Central Palace, near Grand Central Terminal.[128][129] Following the end of World War II in 1945, Governors Island continued to be the U.S. First Army's headquarters, and few substantive changes were made. Some buildings were razed in the southwest corner of the island, and an administrative office was destroyed to make way for a parking lot, but overall the building layout remained relatively untouched.[130]

Infrastructure edit

 
Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel ventilation tower off Governors Island

Prior to the construction of Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn in 1930, the island was considered as a site for a municipal airport. In 1927, U.S. Representative and future New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia advocated for a commercial airport to be placed in Governors Island, since it was closer to Manhattan than the proposed site of Floyd Bennett Field.[131] A bill in the U.S. House to create a Governors Island airport was voted down.[132] The island also hosted the Governors Island Army Airfield for some time after World War II until the 1960s.[133]

In 1940, work started on the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel, which passes underwater offshore of the island's northeast corner.[134][135] A ventilation building designed by McKim, Mead & White[136] is connected to the island by a causeway.[137][138] Initially, Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority chairman Robert Moses had proposed a bridge across the harbor,[139] but the War Department quashed the plan, calling it a possible navigational threat to the Brooklyn Navy Yard located upriver.[140][141] A subsequent plan to build a ramp from Governors Island to the bridge was rejected as well.[142][143] The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel opened to traffic in 1950 without any other physical connection to the island.[144][145]

Decommissioning edit

In 1963, Department of Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara started studying the feasibility of closing redundant military installations, especially naval ship yards, in order to save money. The Department of Defense announced in May 1964 that it was considering closing Fort Jay, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and the Brooklyn Army Terminal.[146][22] Despite protests from workers at the three facilities, McNamara announced that November that Fort Jay would be one of nearly a hundred military installations that would be closed.[147][148][149] In February 1965, the United States Coast Guard announced that it had asked for permission to move to Fort Jay in order to consolidate its facilities within New York City. The Coast Guard saw the island as an opportunity to consolidate and provide more facilities for its schools, and as a base for its regional and Atlantic Ocean operations.[150]

 
Map showing Coast Guard usage of Governors Island in 1995

Coast Guard operation edit

On December 31, 1965, the Army base was formally decommissioned and the installation became a Coast Guard base.[151][22] At that point, most of the World War II-era buildings on the island's southern tip were still standing.[152] The Coast Guard consolidated its operations at Governors Island, making the island the Coast Guard's largest installation.[152] The island was used as a base of operations for the Atlantic Area Command and its regional Third District command.[153] By 1985, the island had a population of 4,000 personnel and 1,000 family members.[154] It was also homeport for U.S. Coast Guard cutters,[155] including USCGC Gallatin (WHEC-721),[156] USCGC Morgenthau (WHEC-722), and USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716).[157]

The Coast Guard split the island's operations among seven divisions,[158] and began making various improvements such as adding a boat marina[159] and the world's first search-and-rescue training school.[160] By 1972, the Coast Guard had opened some apartment blocks on the southern portion of Governors Island,[155] which replaced the temporary World War II-era buildings on that site. The golf course and open space in the center of the island were preserved during this wave of development.[161] Liggett Hall was converted to classrooms, and other historic structures were preserved and restored.[157] A community of Coast Guard members began to develop on the island, and it came to include a fire and police department, banks, stores, churches, an elementary school, a movie theater, a motel, a bowling alley, and a Burger King fast-food restaurant.[162][163][164]

 
President Ronald Reagan and President-elect George Bush meet with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in December 1988

During this time, several notable events took place at Governors Island. During Liberty Weekend in 1986, President Ronald Reagan traveled to the island for a ceremony to relight the Statue of Liberty upon completion of the statue's restoration.[165][166] On December 8, 1988, Reagan and President-elect George Bush met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on the island, in Reagan's last U.S.-Soviet summit as president.[167][168][169] In July 1993, the United Nations held discussions between Haitian political leaders at the South Battery, which resulted in the Governors Island Accord being signed.[170][171][172] The Coast Guard era also coincided with two landmark designations. On February 4, 1985, a 92-acre (370,000 m2) portion of Governors Island was designated a National Historic Landmark.[5][173][174] The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission created the Governors Island Historic District on June 18, 1996.[3]

The United States Department of Transportation, the parent of the Coast Guard, identified the Governors Island base for closure in 1995. The move was part of a series of Coast Guard base closures that would collectively save $100 million a year.[175][162] Governors Island alone cost $60 million a year to maintain.[164] By 1996, the Coast Guard had relocated all functions and residential personnel to offices and bases, but left a caretaker detachment to jointly maintain the island with the General Services Administration (GSA) while its future was determined.[176] Other federal agencies were loath to take control of the island.[164] Upon the announcement of the base's closure in 1995, President Bill Clinton offered to give up the island for $1 if Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Governor George Pataki could agree to reserve the island for public use.[177] The city was initially reluctant to take up Clinton's offer because it would not have been financially beneficial to the city.[178] The issue was exacerbated when the Balanced Budget Act was passed in 1997, stipulating that the GSA sell the island at a fair market value by 2002.[179][180] The island's sale was expected to net the federal government $500 million.[181]

Redevelopment edit

Early proposals edit

With the announcement of the Coast Guard base's closure, officials and developers began offering plans for development.[182] Mayor Giuliani considered building a casino and hotel on Governors Island.[183] Other plans entailed preserving the island as a museum; converting it into a public park; establishing a free-trade zone; and building an educational campus, a prison, an amusement park, a golf courses, or even a nightclub district.[164][182][184] In 1996, the Van Alen Institute hosted an ideas competition called "Public Property", attracting over 200 submissions.[185] An agreement between the city and state to maintain the island for public use was reached in 2000.[180] Throughout this time, the federal government continued to maintain the island for $20 million a year.[186]

 
Aerial view in 2009 facing northeast

In a last-minute act while in office, President Clinton designated a 22-acre (8.9 ha) area, including Fort Jay and Castle Williams, as Governors Island National Monument on January 19, 2001. The monument would be administered by the National Park Service.[6] The following year, it was announced that Governors Island would become public property, though the transfer of the island was delayed due to the 2002 New York gubernatorial election.[187] On January 31, 2003, the rest of the island's 150 acres, as well as 32 acres (13 ha) of underwater land, were sold for a "nominal sum" (reported to be $1) and placed under the management of a joint city-state agency, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC).[186][188] The transfer included deed restrictions which prohibit permanent housing or casinos on the island.[189][190] The agreements also stipulated that 40 acres (16 ha) of land had to be used as parkland, and another 50 acres (20 ha) had to be used for "educational, civic or cultural" purposes.[188] In practice, the deed restriction precludes most long-term development on Governors Island.[184]

Progress on redevelopment was slow, but in early 2006, Governor George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched a competition for ideas to preserve Governors Island.[191] During this period, the National Park Service and GIPEC began conducting restorations on parts of Governors Island.[192] Major construction was necessary to convert the island for public use, such as repairs to the seawall and removal of asbestos.[191] By 2006, the GIPEC had awarded leases to its first two tenants.[193] The public was first allowed to visit the island in 2005, and eight thousand visitors came that year.[184][194][195] At first, Governors Island was only open during summer weekends, except for a few concerts. Bikes and ferry services were made free in order to attract visitors.[184] Art exhibits were later added.[195]

Phase 1 and 2 renovations edit

 
Lower Manhattan from Outlook Hill's summit, the tallest artificial hill on the island; open space, bike paths and a Staten Island Ferry boat are visible

In mid-2007, GIPEC announced five finalist design teams,[193] namely West 8, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Rogers Marvel Architects, Quennell Rothschild & Partners, and SMWM.[196][197] West 8 ultimately won the contest.[197][198][199] The plan included 87 acres (35 ha) of open space, as well as provided for the restoration of the historic district and a new park on the island's southern portion.[199] Artificial hills were part of West 8's plan for the island,[200] as were free bicycle rentals.[199][196][201] Since the island was windy, West 8 designed their proposed topography to provide moments of shelter.[196] Some plans were not implemented; these included an aerial gondola system designed by Santiago Calatrava,[202][196] as well as a proposal by Center for Urban Real Estate (CURE) at Columbia University to physically connect Manhattan to Governors Island using landfill.[203] A proposal to convert Castle Williams into a theater in the style of London's Globe Theatre was designed by architect Norman Foster in 2005, but was deemed unsuitable for the castle's design.[204][205] Additionally, in 2008, there were unrealized plans to relocate the security and ticketing checkpoints for the Liberty Island and Ellis Island tourist ferries from the Battery to Governors Island, bringing as many as 500,000 additional people to Governors Island each year.[206]

The number of tenants on Governors Island started to increase, though they numbered fewer than 1,000 as of 2014.[189] In 2009, a 3-acre (12,000 m2) commercial organic farm, operated by the non-profit organization Added Value, was launched.[207] In 2010, the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School relocated from Bushwick, Brooklyn, to building 550 on Governors Island. Also opened that year were artist studios run by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and housed in a portion of Building 110.[208] Demolition of old structures on Governors Island began in 2008 with the destruction of a derelict motel.[209][210] In April 2010, the city took control of the island's development, and GIPEC was succeeded by the Trust for Governors Island.[211][192] The city also unveiled a new master development plan that preserved the historic north end of Governors Island, developed the middle and southern portions of the island as a park, and reserved the western and eastern sections for private development.[211] The administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg had provided funding for the first phase of construction.[212] Construction on the $260 million park started May 24, 2012,[213][214] and the Coast Guard-era military housing complexes were demolished.[215]

As part of phase 1 of the master plan, Soissons Landing was upgraded with new ferry docks and a waiting plaza, while the Parade Ground was regraded for lawn sports, while the Historic District gained concessions.[212] In 2013, construction started on a new potable water connection (which replaced a locally illegal connection from the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel) as well as repairs to the seawall.[189] The 6-acre (2.4 ha) Liggett Terrace courtyard was built in 2014, as was Hammock Grove and a new play structure.[189][216] The Oyster Pavilion opened in June 2015,[217] followed by the 10-acre (4.0 ha) Hills section of the park in July 2016.[218][219] The island became more popular over the years. While it attracted 275,000 visitors in 2009,[220] over 800,000 people came to the island in 2018.[184]

Later modifications edit

In September 2016, the Trust for Governors Island and the New York City Economic Development Corporation started an online survey to develop ideas for Governors Island as a year-round destination.[221][222][223] Two years later, mayor Bill de Blasio opened a formal process to rezone the remaining un-redeveloped portions of Governors Island for dormitory, office, or educational use.[184][224][225] The proposed rezoning drew opposition from activists who wanted Governors Island to be kept largely as-is.[226] Also in 2018, the city's government held the NYCx Governors Island Connectivity Challenge, asking three companies to test out 5G technology on Governors Island; if the project was successful, the city's government would pursue a wider rollout of 5G in New York City.[227][228]

The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's expanded Arts Center at Governors Island opened in September 2019 in a renovated former ordnance warehouse at the north end of the island. The new Arts Center features gallery, exhibition, and performance space as well as studio areas for up to 40 artists.[229] The opening of the Arts Center added LMCC to the island's community of year-round tenants, which also includes Billion Oyster Project, an organization to restore New York Harbor's oyster population and biodiversity; the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, a high school focused on maritime vocational education; and QC NY, a destination day spa.[230] In October 2019, city officials proposed constructing a climate change research center on the island.[231][232] In March 2020, the Trust for Governors Island issued a Request for Proposals seeking arts and culture organizations to become year-round tenants in two historic buildings in Nolan Park.[233] During 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the island opened two months later than usual, and a timed ticketing system limited daily visitation to 5,000.[234][235]

In September 2021, mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the island would operate year-round rather than from May through October.[236][237] Though there were no full-time residents at the time, the Trust for Governors Island started expanding nighttime access to the island following the announcement. Additionally, two organizations announced plans to host about a dozen residents by 2022.[238] The QC NY spa opened inside a former barracks on the north side of the island in March 2022,[239][240] and the Gitano Island beach club opened that July.[241][242] In April 2023, the Trust for Governors Island selected Stony Brook University to construct a 400,000-square-foot (37,000 m2) climate research lab on the island, which was planned to cost $700 million and be complete in 2028.[243][244] The lab, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is to consist of two narrow structures connected by a solar-paneled roof.[245]

Geography edit

Governors Island comprises 172 acres (70 ha) of land.[73] About 22 acres (9 ha) are operated by the National Park Service while the rest are under the jurisdiction of The Trust for Governors Island.[246] The island is about 400 yd (370 m) west of Brooklyn and 800 yd (730 m) south of Manhattan.[247] Politically it is part of the borough of Manhattan, and shares the ZIP Code 10004 with the blocks around South Ferry in Manhattan.[248] Governors Island contains several named streets, mostly in the northern part of the island. The entirety of the island is surrounded by a waterfront promenade.[249]

 
Aerial view of the original island

Governors Island's shape is roughly characterized as resembling an ice cream cone.[250] The 69-acre (28 ha) northern part of the island is original and can be described as the "ice cream", while the artificial 103-acre (42 ha) southern section can be described as the "cone".[250][251] Functionally, the island is bisected by Division Road and Liggett Hall, which separate the NPS-operated northern section from the parkland in the southern section.[252]

The highest natural point on Governors Island is 40 feet (12 m) above mean water level at the base of Fort Jay, in the northern portion of the island. The southern section formerly was lowland and was located no more than 13.5 feet (4.1 m) above mean sea level,[251] but, since the construction of the new parkland in the 2010s, has contained the Hills, which range from 26 to 70 feet (7.9 to 21.3 m) high.[253] This construction, part of the island's Park and Public Space Master Plan, included various measures to make the island more resilient against the effects of climate change, like raising much of the south island out of the 100-year flood plain, and replacing the old sea wall with a layer of riprap to better mitigate wave action.[254] A 2023 study found that Governors Island was sinking at a rate of about 3.4 ± 0.8 millimeters (0.134 ± 0.031 in) per year, making it among the fastest-sinking locations in New York City.[255] This is mainly because the southern part of the island was created through land reclamation.[255][256]

Notable structures edit

Fortifications edit

Main articles: Fort Jay and Castle Williams
 
Fort Jay

Several fortifications were built on Governors Island to protect New York Harbor. These worked in conjunction with Castle Clinton at the southern tip of Manhattan, as well as Fort Wood on Liberty Island, and Fort Gibson on Ellis Island.[257][258] The existing fortifications were meant to protect the city during the War of 1812.[259]

Fort Jay, located at the center of the original (northern) portion of Governors Island, is the oldest, having been built in 1794.[51][53] It was built on the highest point of the island, with a glacis sloping down from all sides.[260][261] The initial fortifications degraded to such a point that they were replaced in 1806.[56][57][58] Fort Jay was initially named for New York governor John Jay,[262] but after being rebuilt, was known as Fort Columbus until about 1904.[57][58][55] The rebuilt fort, which reused the original glacis and many of the original walls, comprised "an enclosed pentagonal work, with four bastions of masonry, calculated for one hundred guns", and initially included a 230-person brick barracks. Though Fort Jay has been renovated multiple times throughout its history, its current appearance largely stems from renovations in the 1830s.[262] The walls of Fort Jay are made of sandstone and granite, with an arrow-shaped ravelin on the northern wall. The fortification is surrounded by a moat that is now dry.[45][260][261]

Castle Williams was built from 1807 through 1811 on the northwestern corner of the island,[56][58][59] on what was then a submerged rock.[260] Named for USACE chief engineer Jonathan Williams,[257] it is a cylindrical four-tiered sandstone building measuring 40 feet (12 m) high by 210 feet (64 m) in diameter. The walls taper from 8 to 7 feet (2.4 to 2.1 m) from bottom to top. The building is four-tiered, with 13 casemates on each tier each having a capacity of two cannons, for a total capacity of 104 cannons.[260][261][77] Two structures inside the southern side of the fort were removed in 1900.[260]

A third structure, called the South Battery or Half-Moon Battery, is located at the southeast corner of the original island near Buttermilk Channel, and was built before the War of 1812.[46][60][61] The arrowhead-shaped South Battery contained 13 barbette guns, mounted on the parapet and facing Buttermilk Channel, as well as a barracks inside.[260][263] It was then used as an officer's mess and Catholic chapel by 1878; as a court-martial room by the 1880s; and as an amusement hall after a 1904 renovation.[264][265][263] From the 1930s, South Battery was also used as an officers' club.[260][263]

Open landscapes edit

Northern portion edit

 
Fort Jay's glacis (left) and barracks (right), looking toward Manhattan

There are four open landscapes in the historic northern part of Governors Island.[249][266] The northernmost is the glacis of Fort Jay, a treeless grassy area that slopes down from all sides of the fort.[260][261] The glacis formed a buffer between the walls of Fort Jay and the moat at the bottom of the slope.[266] The glacis contained a polo field, as well as the Governors Island Golf Course.[122][124]

To the southeast of Fort Jay is Nolan Park, a formal trapezoidal area with tree-lined walks that is surrounded by former officers' quarters and administrative buildings. The park's eastern border curves southwest toward the southern end of the area, while the western and northern borders are roughly perpendicular to each other.[252][267][268] Nolan Park's current configuration dates to the 1870s,[71][267] and it was named after Major General Dennis E. Nolan, who was First Army's commander from 1933 to 1936.[266] A bandstand formerly existed on the site.[268][269]

Governors Island's Parade Ground is located directly west of Nolan Park and south of Fort Jay, and is about 13 acres (5.3 ha).[270] The parade ground slopes downward, away from Fort Jay and toward the waterfront to the south.[271] It was used as both a military training ground and as an execution site for prisoners stockaded at Castle Williams.[266] The golf course formerly extended into the parade ground,[124][271] though remnants of the golf course still exist.[271]

The fourth open landscape is the triangle between Clayton and Hay Roads,[267] also known as Colonels Row Green or Hay Park, located southwest of Fort Jay and northeast of Liggett Hall.[252] It was created in the early 20th century and forms a wedge shape between Hay Road to the east, which forms the island's original southwest shoreline, and Clayton Road and Liggett Hall to the southwest.[267]

Southern portion edit

 
Governors Island's southern half including new parkland.

The southern portion of Governors Island includes a park that covers more than 43 acres (17 ha).[272] The north end of the park contains Hammock Grove, a landscaped area of rolling hills with over 60 tree species. The grove's hills are located up to 27 feet (8.2 m) above mean sea level, preventing it from flooding.[273] The grove itself is 10 acres (4.0 ha) and contains 50 hammocks.[216] Immediately to the west is the 14-acre (5.7 ha) Play Lawn, which contains two turf fields that can be used for baseball.[216][274] The paths in this portion of Governors Island are meandering, in a style similar to Frederick Law Olmsted's designs of Central Park and Prospect Park, which incorporate winding paths to reinforce a secluded atmosphere.[275]

 
A view of the new parklands. Manhattan's Financial District is visible in the distance.

The south end of the park contains the Hills section of Governors Island, which covers 10 acres. The Hills consists of four hills that are 26 to 70 feet (7.9 to 21.3 m) high, and are made partially of reclaimed debris from the demolition of the island's former residential towers.[253][218][219] Each hill has a trail that leads up to their peak. From shortest to tallest, the hills are the 26-foot Grassy Hill; the 40-foot (12 m) Discovery Hill, with site-specific artwork;[218] the 40-foot Slide Hill, which contains four long slides;[219][274] and the 70-foot Outlook Hill, which contains an observation area at its peak with views of New York Harbor, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn.[218][275] The Hills includes over 41,000 shrubs and 860 new trees.[218] The Hills cost $70 million to build; the construction of the Hills was funded in part by Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who donated $15 million.[194]

At the southernmost tip of Governors Island is Picnic Point.[249] This area contains grills and picnic tables close to the waterfront.[276]

Other structures edit

When the Coast Guard abandoned Governors Island in 1996, there were 49 buildings built before 1917, mostly in the northern part of the island, and 121 buildings built after 1917, mostly in the southern part. The southern part was mostly residential and industrial, while the northern part was mixed-use. The island was relatively low-density with extensive open space.[277]

Residential edit

Governors Island contains several clusters of low-rise officers' housing, now mostly unoccupied, though some structures are used as exhibits or for administrative purposes. The two largest sections of housing in the historical northern part of the island are Colonel's Row (buildings 403–410),[252][278][279] as well as the structures around Nolan Park (buildings 1–20).[252][100][268]

 
The Block House in Nolan Park
 
Colonels Row red brick houses, #406 and 407

Nolan Park contains several structures that are historical in their own right.[100][268] The Admiral's House/Commanding Officer's Quarters (building 1), a two-story Colonial Revival brick house built in 1843,[280][268][281] is listed separately on the NRHP and as a city landmark.[282][283] To the north is the Governor's House (building 2), a two-story Georgian brick house built c. 1805–1813.[280][268][284] The southeast corner of Nolan Park contains the Block House (building 9), a two-story Greek Revival building built in 1843, which served initially as a post hospital and later as administrative offices and officers' quarters.[285][286][287] Buildings 3-5 (built in the 1850s), 6-11 and 14-18 (built in 1878–1879), and 19-20 (built in the 1890s) all served as two-company officers' quarters.[288][286] Building 12, a three-story Georgian Revival brick apartment complex, was constructed in 1928 or 1931 to house the 16th Infantry Regiment.[280][289][286]

The eastern side of Colonel's Row contains eight individual officers' quarters numbered 403 from north to south,[278][279] which initially faced the original shoreline southwest of Hays Road.[73][290][291] The first structures to be built, buildings 405–408, were designed in accordance with the same Quartermaster General plans, and were built in 1893-1895 as two-family duplexes.[279][292][290] This was followed by buildings 403–404, built in 1904-1906 also to the same plan.[279][292][291] The two-and-a-half-story building 409, a Colonial Revival structure, was designed as Bachelor Officers' Quarters and was completed in 1910,[279][292][293] while building 410 was built as a duplex officer's quarters in 1917 and is the only structure of the Modified Arts and Crafts design on the island.[279][292][294]

 
Building 550, now the New York Harbor School

The southwestern side of Colonel's Row is dominated by Liggett Hall (building 400), a three-to-four-story barracks that spans nearly the entire width of Governors Island, measuring 1,023 feet (312 m) long with two 225-foot-long (69 m) wings extending south. Initially built in 1930 for the 16th Infantry, it was among the largest military barracks in the world when completed, and was the first Army building intended to house an entire regiment. The building contains a ground-level arcade that bisects the first and second floors, as well as an annex to the southeast.[295][292][296] Two nearly identical Georgian Revival structures, building 550 (now the New York Harbor School) to the north and building 333 to the south, are located directly adjacent to Liggett Hall. The three-story structures are both U-shaped with the wings surrounding a front courtyard; they were built in 1932 as detachment housing for the First Army before being used by the Coast Guard as classrooms.[263][297][298] Nearby are a smaller pair of nearly identical 3+1⁄2-story family housing blocks for the 16th Regiment, built in 1940. These consist of building 555 to the north of building 550, and building 315 near the southern waterfront south of the YMCA and theater.[263][299][298]

Several other residential structures exist throughout the northern part of Governors Island. Buildings 111 and 112, a pair of three-story neo-Georgian structures on the island's east side, were built in 1934 to a design by Rogers & Poor. These served as officers' quarters for the 16th Regiment, accommodating additional officers once Liggett Hall was full.[300][301][302] Inside Fort Jay were four buildings numbered 202, 206, 210, and 214; these were nearly identical Greek Revival barracks that housed soldiers at the fort.[303][304][302][305] The north side of the island, between Castle Williams to the west and Soissons Dock to the east, contains the Fort Jay Nurses' Quarters (building 114), a 2+1⁄2-story neo-Georgian brick-with-concrete structure designed by Rogers & Poor; this later became bachelor officers' quarters as well.[306][301][302] Officers' quarters were also located in building 135, a former storehouse along the northeastern waterfront built in 1835.[261][307]

 
A two-and-a-half-story yellow house in Nolan Park

Many of the former residences located in Nolan Park and Colonels Row now serve as seasonal homes to a variety of arts and culture organizations that typically offer free programs for visitors during the Island's public season.[308] During the 2020 season, indoor programs were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. As a result, many of the organizations based in the former homes joined the Governors Island Residency Initiative to offer the houses as free workspace for artists and cultural workers.[309]

Formerly, residential apartment blocks ranging up to 11 stories tall were located on the southern half of Governors Island.[252] There were 594 total apartments each with 2 to 5 bedrooms, spread out across three apartment complexes. Unlike the housing on the island's north side, these structures were not historically protected.[277] The largest of these structures, the 11-story, 165-unit Cunningham Apartments (building 877), was located on the island's north side. Built in 1968, it was imploded in 2013, something uncommon in the city.[310][311][312]

Religious edit

 
Episcopal Chapel of St. Cornelius

Religious practice on Governors Island dates to the opening of the first chapel in 1846.[75][76][77] There later came to be three houses of worship on Governors Island.[74] The Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion (building 13), a two-story limestone structure in the southern part of Nolan Park, was designed by Charles C. Haight and built in 1907, replacing the old 1846 chapel.[100][101][74] Throughout the chapel's history, chaplains have been assigned by several different entities, namely the Army, Coast Guard, and Trinity Church.[313] Maintenance was performed by Trinity Church until 1986, when it turned operations over to the Coast Guard under condition that Trinity Church would resume maintenance duties if and when the Coast Guard left the island.[314][313]

A Catholic church called Our Lady, Star of the Sea was built in 1942.[74][315] The one-story clapboard structure is located at Clayton and Comfort Roads on the north shore of Governors Island.[316][315]

A synagogue housing Congregation Shaare Shomayim[317] was established in 1960 in what is known as building S-40. The one-story clapboard building, located east of Barry Road on the island's east shore, was initially a "temporary" building used for storage.[318][319]

Office and storage edit

Several buildings were built as part of the Arsenal but have not been used as residential structures, instead being utilized for office or storage space. These include buildings 104 and 107, originally used as storehouses; 105, a two-winged structure used as an armory and office; and 110, used as a quartermaster's depot and storehouse. Building 110 is now home to the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's Arts Center at Governors Island, which opened in September 2019.[320] All were built in brick from the 1850s through 1870s.[301][321][138] Buildings 106 (pump house) and 108 and 109 (offices) were built during the 1940s in the same style as the other structures, though building 109 replaced a wooden structure built in 1918.[322][138] Pershing Hall (building 125), a three-story brick building north of buildings 107 and 108 on the northern waterfront, served as the headquarters for the First Army when built in 1934.[323][268]

The waterfront contains several buildings, including building 130, the original Arsenal workshop, as well as building 134, a modern structure which hosted offices for USCG Group: Station New York.[261][307][138]

Governors Island also has several small vehicular garages of varying styles. Most of these garages were built in the 1930s and 1940s during the WPA's renovations of the island.[324][325][305]

Service structures edit

 
Building 515/Post Hospital

The northwest side of the island hosts building 515, the former Post Hospital, later used as enlisted bachelors' housing. The three-story brick-and-limestone building was constructed in 1935 to a Neo-Georgian design by McKim, Mead & White.[326][327][105] Nearby is the Tampa Memorial Library (building S-251), a one-story rectangular wooden building. Constructed in 1908, it originally served as a storehouse and was renamed after the sinking of the cutter Tampa in 1918.[328][329]

The area around the South Battery, south of the Parade Ground, includes several former service structures. Building 301, a single-story brick building near the waterfront, housed an elementary school called PS 26. It was originally built in 1934, though two wings were added in 1959–1960.[330][261][265] To the west is building 324, constructed in 1926 as the Army YMCA.[296][331][265] The War Department Theater (building 330), a two-story 700-seat theater built in 1937–1939, is located west of the YMCA, facing the southern portion of Governors Island.[296][332][265]

Formerly located near the South Battery was the former Governors Island Guest House/Super 8 Motel in building 293.[333] The one-and-a-half-story brick building was originally a quarters built in 1871–1872.[329][334][304] The abandoned motel was demolished in 2007–2008 to expand the Parade Ground.[97][210] On the southern part of Governors Island was building 785, which included a fast-food restaurant and a bowling alley. Building 902 houses several FDNY fire protection vehicles.[335]

Monuments edit

The Monumental Setting for Bronze Plaque, a brick monumental bench with stone trim between buildings 406 and 407, was built by the WPA in 1938.[105][336][337] The Early Birds Monument, originally dedicated in 1954 south of Liggett Hall, is a bronze cast of a Wright Brothers' plane's propeller on a granite base[104][105] that commemorates early aviation on the island.[336][338]

Operations edit

Management edit

 
Site-specific information panel, one of many installed by the National Park Service within Governors Island National Monument

Three organizations work in partnership to maintain the island: the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy, the Trust for Governors Island, and Friends of Governors Island.[339]

National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy edit

The National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is responsible for managing the 22 acres (8.9 ha) that comprise the Governors Island National Monument. It works with the National Parks of New York Harbor (a branch of the National Park Service) in a public-private partnership, and is the official nonprofit partner for the National Parks of New York Harbor.[339][340] The Conservancy was founded in 2003 because the NPS is legally prohibited from operating its own business ventures.[341] The National Park Service owns and operates the monument itself.[342]

Trust for Governors Island edit

The Trust for Governors Island, legally the Governors Island Corporation, is a nonprofit organization of the city government that is responsible for managing the redevelopment for the rest of the island.[339][343] Its predecessor, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), was founded in 2003, when Governors Island was sold to the public. At the time, GIPEC was a partnership between the city and the state.[186][188] In April 2010, the city entered an agreement to take full control of the island's development from the state of New York.[211] GIPEC was then dissolved and superseded by the Trust for Governors Island.[339][192]

The Trust is charged with the planning, redevelopment, and ongoing operations of the 150 acres (61 ha) that are not part of the national monument.[344] The organization is also responsible for coordinating public art displays on the island.[345] The Trust's first artistic curator, Meredith Johnson, was hired in 2016.[346] In 2024, Lauren Haynes was appointed as the Trust's head curator.[345]

Friends of Governors Island edit

The Friends of Governors Island is the private nonprofit organization that manages the island's operations and programming.[339][347] It was founded as the Governors Island Alliance in 1995, following the Coast Guard's decision to vacate the island. The Alliance and its 50 member organizations led a campaign to return the island to New York for public purposes. Since 2014 the Alliance has been an independent non-profit, and in 2016 it was renamed Friends of Governors Island. The Friends run volunteer and membership programs, raise money and perform advocacy for the island.[347]

Working dogs edit

Governors Island employs working dogs to chase the Canada geese off of the island. The working dogs provide a humane geese disbursement method for the super flocks of Canada geese that migrate through the New York Harbor.[348] Before the dog program started in 2015, attempts to use R/C cars, strobe lights, and a special laser to chase the geese all failed.[348] Chasing the geese from the island helps avoid the large amount of bird droppings they leave behind, as well as mitigates their aggressive nature. Keeping the super-flocks off the island helps protect both other bird species and park visitors, as Canada geese are known to be hostile during nesting season. The Working Dogs program began in January 2015 when Jim Reed, Director of Park and Public Space, adopted Max, a Border Collie who came from a failed career as a farm dog.[348]

As of 2019 the Governors Island working dog team is composed of four dogs.[349][350] A Border Collie named Quinn was added to the team of working dogs in 2017,[351] followed by a Border Collie named Chip in mid-2018 and a mini Aussie named Aspen in late 2018.[350] The dogs are popular on social media with a growing following.[350] In addition to their duties chasing geese, the dogs serve as ambassadors to Governors Island guests.[348]

Cannonball removal edit

The majority of cannonballs and shells from the island's military history had already been removed by the 21st century. In 1900, the government sold 5,635 tons of cannonballs to an iron dealer who intended on smelting the iron in order to build trains and other machinery.[352] More were sold in 1942 and smelted down to support World War II manufacturing efforts.[353] Cannonballs continue to be found: for example, a 350-pound cannonball was found near Soissons Landing in 2012 and deemed to not be at risk of explosion.[354][355] Inactivated cannonballs are available for viewing near Fort Jay.[353]

Activities edit

 
Looking north from the Hills at the Longines Global Champions Tour event site in 2019

Activities on the island include free National Park Service tours of the National Monument, bike riding, picnicking, art installations, fairs, festivals, and concerts.[356] The northern half contains Governors Island National Monument as well as the Governors Island Historic District. The southern half contains the 43-acre park constructed and operated by the Trust for Governors Island.[254]

Recurring activities edit

Various free activities are offered on Governors Island. The houses around Nolan Park and Colonels row host arts, culture and educational exhibits during typical public seasons.[356][357] Downtown Boathouse has offered free kayaking classes at Pier 101.[358][359][360] In addition, there are several NPS-operated walking tours and self-guided tours of Governors Island's historic landmarks.[276][356] Other public programs and exhibits are available,[361] including an adventure playground operated by play:groundNYC called The Yard,[361][362] as well as a compost site run by Earth Matter called the Compost Learning Center and a functioning urban farm, the Teaching Garden, run by GrowNYC.[356][361] The American Indian Community House, a non-profit that works to improve the well-being of the American Indian community and increase visibility of the community's culture, uses the Admiral's House to present exhibitions, performances, and other cultural and educational programs.[363]

Some activities require additional fees. QC NY, an Italian-based day spa spanning two buildings on the north side of the island, contains a courtyard with heated pools and lawn chairs overlooking Manhattan; it offers personal treatments in addition to its saunas.[364] Collective Retreats, a glamorous camping or "glamping" retreat, allows its guests to use the island three hours before the island opens to the general public each day, and several tiers of accommodations and activities are provided at progressively higher prices.[365][366] Though Collective Retreats can accommodate about 70 campers per night, there are no full-time residents on the island as of 2022.[238] For travel throughout the island, Blazing Saddles rents out bikes and pedicabs, and there are also three Citi Bike bike-sharing stations on the island.[356][367]

Events edit

 
Visitors trick-or-treating during the Island's Pumpkin Point fall event in Nolan Park, October 2019.

Many events take place on Governors Island during a typical public season including outdoor films, food and art festivals, runs, concerts, and a pumpkin patch in October.[368]

The Governors Island Art Fair, run by the art collective 4heads and now known as Portal: Governors Island Art Fair, has taken place annually on the island during weekends in September since 2007. Originally located in buildings on Colonel's Row, the event has also hosted artists in Castle Williams and Fort Jay.[369][370] Many concerts have also taken place on the island. For instance, the Rite of Summer Festival, a series of free concerts, has been held on the island throughout the summer since 2011.[371][372][356] The Jazz Age Lawn Party, a two-day-long Prohibition-era cosplay event, is also hosted on the island.[356][373] In September 2019, the Longines Global Champions Tour, a globe-traveling equestrian jumping league, made its New York debut on Governors Island.[374]

Past attractions have included a Dutch festival called Goverthing in 2009,[375][376] as well as a French carnival in 2013 that contained 19th- and 20th-century rides.[184][377][378] Several previous large concerts have also been held on Governors Island. These include the inaugural Governors Ball Music Festival in 2011, though it moved to Randalls Island for subsequent seasons.[184]

Public access edit

As of 2021, Governors Island is open year-round, operating from 7 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. seven days a week.[236][237] Until 2015, Governors Island was publicly accessible only on summer weekends and was rarely open during nighttime except during concerts.[184] From 2015 to 2020, the island was open seven days a week, but only from May through October.[236][237]

History edit

The first public boat service to Governors Island was instituted in 1794, when John Hillyer was given a franchise to operate a rowboat line to the island, collecting a fare of three cents per person.[379][380] The Army took over the franchise as passenger traffic grew, operating barges from South Ferry or the Battery in Manhattan.[50][381] The first recorded port of departure at the Battery, located south of what is now Castle Clinton, opened in 1854. At that point, there were two barges that each had a maximum capacity of 12 people.[381][74] Test runs of steamboat service started in 1844, and they supplanted the former open-barges by 1879.[50][74] Many of the passengers were employees at the New York Armory on Governors Island.[69] By 1879, an "ugly little tug" that charged 15-cent fares for travel to the island was replaced with a steamboat.[382]

Around 1897, it was announced that the ferry service would be overhauled to accommodate the expanded Army presence on the island.[383] Three new ferryboats with capacity of 823 passengers and 21 cars were added in 1925–1929. Two of these were replaced in 1956 with larger vessels that could hold 1,100 passengers and 32 cars.[384]

Public ferry access from Manhattan started in 2005; at the time, the ferry was free on weekends.[385] Starting in 2010, weekend ferry service commenced between Governors Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6 at Atlantic Avenue.[386] In June 2011, NY Waterway started service to points along the East River.[387] On May 1, 2017, that route became part of NYC Ferry's East River route.[388][389] A new 400-person vessel named Governors 1 as delivered in 2019 in anticipation of large crowds, supplementing the existing vessel Lt. Samuel Coursen. The same year, NYC Ferry added a weekend-only shuttle from Pier 11/Wall Street to Governors Island, replacing the East River and South Brooklyn service to the island.[390] In December 2023, the federal government awarded $7.5 million for the construction of electric charging equipment for the Governors Island Ferry fleet.[391][392]

Current services edit

 
Governors Island's two ferries, the Governors 1 (left) and Lt. Samuel Coursen (right) docked at Soissons Landing at the north end of the island in 2019.

Governors Island has two ferry landings: Soissons Landing and Yankee Pier. Soissons Landing, located at the northern shore of the island, contains two slips. The current cast-iron piers of Soissons Landing were built in 1947 and commemorate the Battle of Soissons during World War I, during which over half of the 16th Regiment were killed.[393] Building 148, a brick waiting room built in 1917, is located directly to the west.[394][395] Ferries travel from here to Slip 7 at the Battery Maritime Building, located adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal in Manhattan's Financial District.[396] The ride is about 7 minutes long.[397] These ferries are operated by HMS Ferries for The Trust for Governors Island and operate daily when the island is open.[356][398][399]

Ferries also operate to Yankee Pier on the southeastern side of the island, which is served by two ferry routes. One route is operated by HMS Ferries for The Trust on weekends and travels to Red Hook as of the 2020 season[400] (though it traveled to Pier 6 of Brooklyn Bridge Park prior to 2020).[390][398] The second route is the Governors Island route operated by NYC Ferry; during summer weekends, the route travels to Pier 11/Wall Street in Manhattan's Financial District, where it meets the other six NYC Ferry routes.[390][398][401] Starting in November 2021, NYC Ferry has run the South Brooklyn route from Yankee Pier during the winter and on summer weekdays. The South Brooklyn route travels to Red Hook; Piers 1 and 6 of Brooklyn Bridge Park; Pier 11/Wall Street; and Corlears Hook in Manhattan.[402]

Ferries operated by the Trust run half-hourly. As of 2022, the Trust charges a round-trip fare of $4 per person; children, seniors, and certain groups of adults ride for free, and no fare is charged during weekend mornings.[398] While the ferry to Manhattan runs seven days a week, the ferry to Brooklyn runs only on weekends.[356][398] NYC Ferry services run half-hourly[401] and charge $2.75 for a one-way trip, with one free transfer to another route.[403][404]

The main ferryboat operated by the Trust is the Samuel S. Coursen,[405] a passenger and vehicular ferry built for the Army in 1956 and named for soldier Samuel S. Coursen.[406] A second vessel, Governors 1, entered service in 2019;[407][408] it can carry 400 passengers and can travel at up to 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph).[409] As of 2023, the Trust is replacing the Coursen with a battery-electric vessel carrying up to 1,200 people.[410][411]

Notable people edit

See also edit

References edit

Citations edit

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January 01, 1970
governors, island, other, uses, disambiguation, acre, island, york, harbor, within, york, city, borough, manhattan, located, approximately, yards, south, manhattan, island, separated, from, brooklyn, east, yard, wide, buttermilk, channel, national, park, servi. For other uses see Governors Island disambiguation Governors Island is a 172 acre 70 ha island in New York Harbor within the New York City borough of Manhattan It is located approximately 800 yards 730 m south of Manhattan Island and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the 400 yard wide 370 m Buttermilk Channel The National Park Service administers a small portion of the north end of the island as the Governors Island National Monument including two former military fortifications named Fort Jay and Castle Williams The Trust for Governors Island operates the remaining 150 acres 61 ha including 52 historic buildings as a public park About 103 acres 42 ha of the land area is fill added in the early 1900s to the south of the original island Governors IslandPaggankNoten Eylandt Nutten IslandGovernors Island viewed from One World Trade Center in 2017Location in New York CityEtymology Paggank and Noten Eylandt from nut trees Governors Island from New York colonial governorsGeographyLocationNew York HarborCoordinates40 41 29 N 74 0 58 W 40 69139 N 74 01611 W 40 69139 74 01611Area172 acres 70 ha Highest elevation70 ft 21 m Highest pointOutlook HillAdministrationUnited StatesStateNew YorkCityNew York CityBoroughManhattanDemographicsPopulation0 1 2010 Additional informationTime zoneEastern UTC 5 Summer DST EDT UTC 4 ZIP Code10004Official websiteThe Trust for Governors Island websiteThe Governors Island National Monument websiteGovernors IslandU S National Register of Historic PlacesU S National Historic LandmarkU S National MonumentNew York State Register of Historic PlacesNYC Landmark No 1946LocationNew York City New York U S Coordinates40 41 29 N 74 0 58 W 40 69139 N 74 01611 W 40 69139 74 01611Area172 acres 70 ha Architectural styleColonial Revival Greek RevivalVisitation800 000 2018 NRHP reference No 85002435NYSRHP No 06101 019189NYCL No 1946Significant datesAdded to NRHPFebruary 4 1985 4 Designated NHLFebruary 4 1985 5 Designated NMONJanuary 19 2001 6 Designated NYSRHPFebruary 4 1985 2 Designated NYCLJune 18 1996 3 The native Lenape originally referred to Governors Island as Paggank nut island because of the area s rich collection of chestnut hickory and oak trees it is believed that this space was originally used for seasonal foraging and hunting The name was translated into the Dutch Noten Eylandt then Anglicized into Nutten Island before being renamed Governor s Island by the late 18th century The island s use as a military installation dates to 1776 during the American Revolutionary War when Continental Army troops raised defensive works on the island From 1783 to 1966 the island was a United States Army post serving mainly as a training ground for troops though it also served as a strategic defense point during wartime The island then served as a major United States Coast Guard installation until 1996 Following its decommissioning as a military base there were several plans for redeveloping Governors Island It was sold to the public for a nominal sum in 2003 and opened for public use in 2005 Governors Island has become a popular destination for the public attracting more than 800 000 visitors per year as of 2018 In addition to the 43 acre 17 ha public park Governors Island includes free arts and cultural events as well as recreational activities The New York Harbor School a public high school with a maritime focused curriculum has been on the island since 2010 The island can only be accessed by ferries from Brooklyn and Manhattan and there are no full time residents as of 2022 update It was accessible to the public only during the summer until 2021 when the island started operating year round Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2 1 Colonial period 2 2 American Revolution 2 3 Late 18th through 19th centuries 2 3 1 Late 18th century to War of 1812 2 3 2 Mid 19th century and Civil War 2 4 Army operation in the 20th century 2 4 1 Expansion and World War I 2 4 2 Mid 20th century 2 4 3 Infrastructure 2 4 4 Decommissioning 2 5 Coast Guard operation 2 6 Redevelopment 2 6 1 Early proposals 2 6 2 Phase 1 and 2 renovations 2 6 3 Later modifications 3 Geography 4 Notable structures 4 1 Fortifications 4 2 Open landscapes 4 2 1 Northern portion 4 2 2 Southern portion 4 3 Other structures 4 3 1 Residential 4 3 2 Religious 4 3 3 Office and storage 4 3 4 Service structures 4 4 Monuments 5 Operations 5 1 Management 5 1 1 National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy 5 1 2 Trust for Governors Island 5 1 3 Friends of Governors Island 5 2 Working dogs 5 3 Cannonball removal 6 Activities 6 1 Recurring activities 6 2 Events 7 Public access 7 1 History 7 2 Current services 8 Notable people 9 See also 10 References 10 1 Citations 10 2 Sources 11 External linksEtymology editThe Native Lenape refer to the island as Paggank 7 8 Pagganck 9 or Pagganack 10 11 9 All of these names literally translate to Nut Island likely in reference to the many chestnut hickory and oak trees on the island 7 10 11 9 12 The Dutch explorer Adriaen Block called it Noten Eylandt a translation 7 8 and this was Anglicized into Nutten Island a name that continued to be used until the late 18th century 9 The name Governor s Island with an apostrophe stems from the British colonial era when the colonial assembly reserved the island for the exclusive use of New York s royal governors 13 14 The current name without an apostrophe was made official in 1784 9 History editColonial period edit nbsp Nieu Nederlandt ship portraitGovernors Island was initially much smaller than it is today It had many inlets along its shoreline and groves of hardwood trees from which the island s native name is derived 15 There is insufficient evidence as to whether Governors Island contained any permanent Lenape settlements or was used mainly for hunting and gathering 10 In 1524 the explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano was perhaps the first European to observe what was then called Paggank 16 One hundred years later in May 1624 Noten Eylandt was the landing place of the first settlers in New Netherland They departed from Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic with the ship Nieu Nederlandt under the command of Cornelius Jacobsen May and disembarked on the island with thirty families in order to take possession of the New Netherland territory 17 For this reason the New York State Senate and Assembly recognize Governors Island as the birthplace of the state of New York and also certify the island as the place on which the planting of the legal political guaranty of tolerance onto the North American continent took place 18 In 1633 the fifth director of New Netherland Wouter van Twiller arrived with a 104 man regiment on Noten Eylandt and later commandeered the island for his personal use 10 He secured his farm by drawing up a deed on June 16 1637 which was signed by two Lenape leaders Cacapeteyno and Pewihas on behalf of their community at Keshaechquereren situated in present day New Jersey 19 16 Van Twiller cultivated a farm on the island even building a windmill on the land until he returned to the Netherlands in 1642 10 The windmill was demolished possibly by 1648 when colonial governor Peter Stuyvesant burned it down after seeing it in inoperable condition 20 Following this Noten Eylandt is said to have been used as a recreation ground by the Dutch between 1652 and 1664 13 There is little other documentation on the use of the island during the Dutch colonial period other than the fact that it has remained in public ownership since van Twiller left New Netherland 15 New Netherland was conditionally ceded to the English in 1664 and the English renamed the settlement New York in June 1665 21 15 By 1674 the British had total control of the island 22 16 At this point the eastern shore of the island was separated from Brooklyn by a shallow channel that could be easily traversed at low tide This became known as Buttermilk Channel since farm women would use the channel to travel to Manhattan island in boats and sell buttermilk 13 By 1680 Nutten Island contained a single house and pasture to be used by colonial governors for raising sheep cattle and horses 13 The British started calling Nutten Island Governor s Island with an apostrophe in 1698 and reserved the island for the exclusive use of colonial governors 23 13 24 Four years later when Edward Hyde Lord Cornbury took office as New York colonial governor he built a mansion on Governor s Island though evidence of this mansion no longer exists 15 13 Later governor William Cosby used the island as a preserve to breed and hunt pheasants 15 25 Other governors leased out the island for profit 23 and for a short period around 1710 Governor s Island was designated as a quarantine station for Palatine German refugees arriving from England on their way to Germantown on the Hudson Otherwise Governor s Island mostly remained untouched until the American Revolutionary War started in 1775 15 26 American Revolution edit nbsp A house in Nolan Park The first plans for fortifications on Governor s Island were made in 1741 in anticipation of a war with France but the fortifications were never built 27 The island was first used by a military encampment in 1755 during the French and Indian War when Sir William Pepperell led the 51st Regiment of Foot onto Governor s Island 27 28 29 30 Other regiments soon followed 30 and by the mid 1760s there was documentation of a fort on the island as well as several surrounding earthworks 27 Further plans to improve the fortifications on Governor s Island were devised in 1766 by British military engineer John Montresor 31 32 33 These plans were never realized even though the British had asked for funding for these fortifications in 1774 31 34 After the American Revolution started Continental Army General George Washington assigned General Charles Lee to create a defensive plan for New York Harbor 31 Lee s plan called for several defensive forts in Brooklyn in Manhattan s Battery and on Governor s Island 34 35 On the night of April 9 1776 Continental Army General Israel Putnam came to the island to add earthworks and 40 cannons in anticipation of the return of the British who had fled New York City the year before 34 35 36 37 The island s defenses continued to be improved over the following months 34 38 39 and on July 12 1776 the defenses engaged HMS Phoenix and HMS Rose as they made a run up the Hudson River to the Tappan Zee 34 35 39 Even though the British were able to travel as far north as the Tappan Zee the colonists cannon inflicted enough damage to make the British commanders cautious of entering the East River 40 and the fortifications contributed to the success of Washington s retreat from Brooklyn to Manhattan after the Battle of Long Island when the British Army attempted to take Brooklyn Heights during the largest battle of the war around August 27 1776 38 39 40 41 In what appeared to be a strategic miscalculation the rebels munitions caused little to no damage to the British ships that were waiting some 2 miles 3 2 km downstream 41 42 43 Two days after the British withdrawal to Manhattan the Continental Army forces withdrew from Brooklyn and Governor s Island and the British took back Governor s Island From September 2 to 14 1776 the new British garrison engaged volleys with Washington s guns on the Battery in front of Fort George in Manhattan 44 42 On September 6 the Americans unsuccessful attempt to detonate the submersible Turtle at the island was the first documented submarine attack in history 43 45 The fort along with the rest of New York City was held by the British for the rest of the war until Evacuation Day in 1783 42 43 45 During this time the British continued to improve Governor s Island s defenses 45 46 Late 18th through 19th centuries edit Late 18th century to War of 1812 edit At the end of the Revolution Governor s Island was transferred from the Crown to the state of New York The island saw no military usage instead being used as a hotel and racetrack 38 The quality of the fortifications which were mostly made of earth began to decline 38 47 The name of Nutten Island was changed to Governors Island by act of the United States legislature on March 29 1784 48 9 Governors Island was conveyed to the New York State Board of Regents in 1790 for the encouragement of education unless needed for military purposes 23 48 Little else is known about the island s use during this time 49 nbsp Castle Williams By the mid 1790s increased military tensions renewed an interest in fortifying New York Harbor and a U S congressional committee had drawn a map of possible locations for the First System of fortifications to protect major American urban centers 49 50 51 Governors Island was one of the first locations where defenses were built 52 As such the agreement with the Board of Regents was voided in 1794 23 48 and some 250 000 in federal funding was allocated to the construction of defenses on Governors Island in 1794 and 1795 49 50 51 Fort Jay was built starting in 1794 on the site of the earlier Revolutionary War earthworks 51 53 45 Work proceeded despite concerns that Fort Jay s low elevation made it vulnerable to being captured 54 Fort Jay a square four bastioned fort was made of earthworks and timber two impermanent materials that deteriorated soon after the threat of war went away and by 1805 it had significantly degraded 53 Ownership of the island was transferred to the federal government on February 15 1800 48 55 Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Williams placed in charge of New York Harbor defenses in the early 1800s proposed several new fortifications around the harbor as part of the Second System of fortifications Unlike the First System defenses the new fortifications were to be made of masonry to preclude deterioration and they included increased firepower and improved weaponry 53 56 Fort Jay was rebuilt from 1806 to 1809 in its current five pointed star shape 55 56 57 58 and was renamed Fort Columbus shortly afterward 57 58 55 A second major fortification Castle Williams was a circular battery built between 1807 and 1811 on a rocky shoal extending from the northwest corner of the island to the north of Fort Columbus 55 56 58 59 A third fortification the South Battery or Half Moon Battery now building 298 was built to the south of Fort Columbus on the island s eastern shore in 1812 46 60 61 The War of 1812 commenced shortly after the completion of these defenses though the fortifications never saw combat 60 62 Mid 19th century and Civil War edit After the War of 1812 the island did not see much development Rather it was used for garrisoning troops starting c 1821 63 64 The troops garrisoned on the island were deployed to wars four times in the rest of the 19th century 65 The New York Arsenal a military division that dealt with artillery and was separate from the Army moved to the island in 1832 and started constructing an armory building three years later 66 67 68 64 Construction of structures for the Arsenal continued for several decades To distinguish the Arsenal s and the Army s structures the former s buildings were designed in the Greek Revival style 68 69 70 such as the Admiral s House built in 1843 68 nbsp Admiral s House completed in 1843 The Army still retained a military presence on the island and in the 1830s it constructed several new buildings such as officers barracks and a hospital 68 69 The Army also added masonry seawalls 71 and opened an administrative and training center starting from the 1850s 22 63 71 The erection of the recruiting center and barracks resulted in the creation of Nolan Park to the east for Fort Columbus 71 Together with these changes a grassy area was cleared between Fort Columbus and Castle Williams to allow better vantage points should defensive attacks be launched 72 73 Other Army structures included a muster station that operated throughout the Mexican American War and American Civil War 22 74 as well as a music school 22 Still most of the troops continued to live in tents 71 To accommodate Army personnel s religious requirements a small Gothic Revival chapel for Protestants was built on Governors Island in 1846 75 76 77 No new permanent buildings were built specifically for the Civil War 72 though a temporary hospital was built 78 The hospital treated victims of cholera and yellow fever in epidemics during the 1850s and 1860s 68 During the war Governors Island was used mostly as a support facility to muster soldiers though the fortifications were still operational 74 72 Castle Williams held Confederate prisoners of war and Fort Columbus held captured Confederate officers 22 56 63 72 The austere accommodations frequently held over a thousand prisoners 72 and they frequently escaped and swam across to mainland Manhattan 73 74 In 1863 in the midst of the New York City draft riots protesters unsuccessfully attempted to take over the island when Army troops were deployed to Manhattan 78 79 65 After the war Castle Williams was used as a military stockade and became the East Coast counterpart to military prisons at Fort Leavenworth Kansas and Alcatraz Island California 22 Infrastructure and facilities were repaired unused structures were destroyed and in 1875 a new munitions warehouse was built north of Fort Columbus 80 Significant development occurred on the formerly undeveloped northern and eastern sides of the island the old wood frame barracks outside Fort Columbus were replaced and new officers quarters were built in Nolan Park east of Fort Columbus 81 The seawalls on the north and west sides of the island were rehabilitated or extended to create additional buildable land 82 During this period of expansion in 1870 a particularly severe yellow fever epidemic occurred on the island sickening hundreds and requiring a quarantine 79 83 84 The structures that hosted yellow fever patients were later demolished 83 Despite these changes in 1873 Fort Columbus and Castle Williams were still described as operable 85 In 1878 Fort Columbus became a major Army administrative center and Army officers families started to move in 86 22 Other recreational options on the island were tennis courts in Nolan Park a South Battery community garden golf links and a promenade for bicycling 87 A cemetery was also present on the island and initially hosted yellow fever and cholera victims but interments were halted in 1878 and all of the remains were moved to Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn by 1886 88 The secluded ambiance of Governors Island was altered somewhat when the first solid waste incinerator in the U S was built on Governors Island in 1885 89 Subsequent construction in the 1890s and 1900s added several officers residences to the island 68 Starting in 1888 90 91 there was a movement to convert Governors Island into a public park for Lower Manhattan residents Though park proponents argued that Central Park and Prospect Park were too far away for Lower Manhattan residents the plan did not succeed 90 Army operation in the 20th century edit Expansion and World War I edit nbsp Army battalion on Governors Island 1918 The Army started planning to expand the island in the late 1880s and the 1890s The U S Secretary of War Elihu Root contemplated such an expansion so that the island would have enough space to accommodate a full battalion 90 92 Using material excavated from the first line of the New York City Subway the Army Corps of Engineers added 4 787 million cubic yards 3 660 000 m3 of fill extending Governors Island to the south 90 93 94 92 The work was mostly finished by 1909 1910 95 96 and was declared complete by January 1913 74 When the project was finished it expanded the island s total area by 103 acres 0 42 km2 to 172 acres 0 70 km2 74 97 98 Secretary Root also retained the services of Beaux Arts architect Charles Follen McKim to redesign nearly every structure on Governors Island 95 as well as create a plan for the island s topography 99 95 McKim presented plans in 1902 and 1907 to tear down all of the old buildings and provide for symmetrical building layouts 96 95 These plans were never executed 95 In addition Root changed Fort Columbus s name back to its historic title Fort Jay in 1904 46 55 The Chapel of St Cornelius the Centurion replaced the former chapel in 1907 100 101 74 The newly constructed southern part of Governors Island was initially used as an airstrip In the world s first over water flight in October 1909 Wilbur Wright flew from Governors Island over the west side of Manhattan then back to the island 76 95 102 The following year Glenn Curtiss completed a flight from Albany to New York City by landing on the island 76 103 An aviation training center even operated from 1916 to 1917 104 In honor of these aviators the Early Birds Monument at Liggett Hall was dedicated in 1954 104 105 Despite the island s expansion little development happened immediately 95 but significant construction occurred during World War I 76 98 106 Governors Island is sometimes mentioned as the location of the United States first overt military action during the war on April 6 1917 when troops from the island captured German vessels in New York Harbor minutes after the U S Congress declared war on Germany 98 107 Barracks tents and temporary wooden buildings were built on the original northern portion of the island while the new southern section housed warehouses and other ancillary facilities which collectively stored 75 million worth of material 76 98 106 The structures were all connected by the 8 mile 13 km Governors Island Railroad which consisted of numerous sidings for shunting 76 98 108 The railroad had been reduced to 1 5 miles 2 4 km and was dubbed the World s Shortest Railroad by the time it was torn up in 1931 109 A buried railroad truck was dug up on the island in 2014 possibly the remains of a handcar 110 Mid 20th century edit nbsp Liggett Hall or Building 400 1928 former barracks In 1920 upon the end of World War I the Army restructured its internal organization so that Governors Island was now the headquarters of the Second Corps Area 111 Few structures were built immediately after the end of the war though the Army maintained the existing buildings and continued to utilize the island as a military prison 112 Some of the wooden barracks structures deteriorated rapidly prompting objections from congressional delegations 113 A school for Army soldiers children was opened on Governors Island in 1926 114 In 1927 General Hanson Edward Ely commenced a major program to build several mostly Georgian revival structures on Governors Island 93 The new structures included a movie theater a YMCA an officer s club and a public school 93 22 The three story Liggett Hall also known as Building 400 a military barracks spanning nearly the entire width of the original island was built on the site of former World War I warehouses and was one of the world s largest barracks upon its completion in 1928 113 93 73 Afterward the Army hired McKim Mead amp White to build a barracks district near Liggett Hall 115 During the 1930s the Works Progress Administration landscaped much of the island and reinforced many existing structures hiring up to 5 000 workers in the process 116 117 118 Some of the WPA s projects included the restoration of the General s House 119 as well as the eradication of invasive Japanese beetles 118 120 The Army also incrementally repaved Governors Island s roads so they could accommodate modern vehicles and constructed garages 121 nbsp The Army YMCA An Army community developed on Governors Island during the mid 20th century 22 122 The island had three chapels in addition to the movie theater YMCA and officer s club 22 Recreation was also popular one common sport was polo a relic from the 19th century when travel on the island was by horseback In 1920 a polo playing field was established on the island s Parade Ground 122 Though a golf course had been built in 1903 near Fort Jay 123 a new polo and golf course called the Governors Island Golf Course was built circa 1925 1926 122 The course was located on the grounds of Fort Jay 124 and was sometimes called the world s crookedest golf course due to its enclosed nature in a confined space 125 Tennis courts and swimming pools were also present on Governors Island Different groupings of recreational areas were generally located according to military hierarchy 126 The number of houses of worship increased as a Roman Catholic church was built in 1942 followed by a synagogue in 1959 74 World War II resulted in another hierarchical change on Governors Island turning it into an administrative center 126 In 1939 the island became the headquarters of the U S First Army and two years later the Eastern Defense Command was also established on the island 111 126 In conjunction 72 temporary structures were erected on the island 126 Governors Island became a U S Army recruitment center in 1941 127 and was processing 1 500 recruits daily by 1942 This volume proved to be overwhelming due to the island s isolation 126 In October 1942 the recruitment station was moved to Grand Central Palace near Grand Central Terminal 128 129 Following the end of World War II in 1945 Governors Island continued to be the U S First Army s headquarters and few substantive changes were made Some buildings were razed in the southwest corner of the island and an administrative office was destroyed to make way for a parking lot but overall the building layout remained relatively untouched 130 Infrastructure edit nbsp Brooklyn Battery Tunnel ventilation tower off Governors Island Prior to the construction of Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn in 1930 the island was considered as a site for a municipal airport In 1927 U S Representative and future New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia advocated for a commercial airport to be placed in Governors Island since it was closer to Manhattan than the proposed site of Floyd Bennett Field 131 A bill in the U S House to create a Governors Island airport was voted down 132 The island also hosted the Governors Island Army Airfield for some time after World War II until the 1960s 133 In 1940 work started on the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel which passes underwater offshore of the island s northeast corner 134 135 A ventilation building designed by McKim Mead amp White 136 is connected to the island by a causeway 137 138 Initially Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority chairman Robert Moses had proposed a bridge across the harbor 139 but the War Department quashed the plan calling it a possible navigational threat to the Brooklyn Navy Yard located upriver 140 141 A subsequent plan to build a ramp from Governors Island to the bridge was rejected as well 142 143 The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel opened to traffic in 1950 without any other physical connection to the island 144 145 Decommissioning edit In 1963 Department of Defense Secretary Robert S McNamara started studying the feasibility of closing redundant military installations especially naval ship yards in order to save money The Department of Defense announced in May 1964 that it was considering closing Fort Jay the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Brooklyn Army Terminal 146 22 Despite protests from workers at the three facilities McNamara announced that November that Fort Jay would be one of nearly a hundred military installations that would be closed 147 148 149 In February 1965 the United States Coast Guard announced that it had asked for permission to move to Fort Jay in order to consolidate its facilities within New York City The Coast Guard saw the island as an opportunity to consolidate and provide more facilities for its schools and as a base for its regional and Atlantic Ocean operations 150 nbsp Map showing Coast Guard usage of Governors Island in 1995 Coast Guard operation edit On December 31 1965 the Army base was formally decommissioned and the installation became a Coast Guard base 151 22 At that point most of the World War II era buildings on the island s southern tip were still standing 152 The Coast Guard consolidated its operations at Governors Island making the island the Coast Guard s largest installation 152 The island was used as a base of operations for the Atlantic Area Command and its regional Third District command 153 By 1985 the island had a population of 4 000 personnel and 1 000 family members 154 It was also homeport for U S Coast Guard cutters 155 including USCGC Gallatin WHEC 721 156 USCGC Morgenthau WHEC 722 and USCGC Dallas WHEC 716 157 The Coast Guard split the island s operations among seven divisions 158 and began making various improvements such as adding a boat marina 159 and the world s first search and rescue training school 160 By 1972 the Coast Guard had opened some apartment blocks on the southern portion of Governors Island 155 which replaced the temporary World War II era buildings on that site The golf course and open space in the center of the island were preserved during this wave of development 161 Liggett Hall was converted to classrooms and other historic structures were preserved and restored 157 A community of Coast Guard members began to develop on the island and it came to include a fire and police department banks stores churches an elementary school a movie theater a motel a bowling alley and a Burger King fast food restaurant 162 163 164 nbsp President Ronald Reagan and President elect George Bush meet with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in December 1988 During this time several notable events took place at Governors Island During Liberty Weekend in 1986 President Ronald Reagan traveled to the island for a ceremony to relight the Statue of Liberty upon completion of the statue s restoration 165 166 On December 8 1988 Reagan and President elect George Bush met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on the island in Reagan s last U S Soviet summit as president 167 168 169 In July 1993 the United Nations held discussions between Haitian political leaders at the South Battery which resulted in the Governors Island Accord being signed 170 171 172 The Coast Guard era also coincided with two landmark designations On February 4 1985 a 92 acre 370 000 m2 portion of Governors Island was designated a National Historic Landmark 5 173 174 The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission created the Governors Island Historic District on June 18 1996 3 The United States Department of Transportation the parent of the Coast Guard identified the Governors Island base for closure in 1995 The move was part of a series of Coast Guard base closures that would collectively save 100 million a year 175 162 Governors Island alone cost 60 million a year to maintain 164 By 1996 the Coast Guard had relocated all functions and residential personnel to offices and bases but left a caretaker detachment to jointly maintain the island with the General Services Administration GSA while its future was determined 176 Other federal agencies were loath to take control of the island 164 Upon the announcement of the base s closure in 1995 President Bill Clinton offered to give up the island for 1 if Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Governor George Pataki could agree to reserve the island for public use 177 The city was initially reluctant to take up Clinton s offer because it would not have been financially beneficial to the city 178 The issue was exacerbated when the Balanced Budget Act was passed in 1997 stipulating that the GSA sell the island at a fair market value by 2002 179 180 The island s sale was expected to net the federal government 500 million 181 Redevelopment edit Early proposals editWith the announcement of the Coast Guard base s closure officials and developers began offering plans for development 182 Mayor Giuliani considered building a casino and hotel on Governors Island 183 Other plans entailed preserving the island as a museum converting it into a public park establishing a free trade zone and building an educational campus a prison an amusement park a golf courses or even a nightclub district 164 182 184 In 1996 the Van Alen Institute hosted an ideas competition called Public Property attracting over 200 submissions 185 An agreement between the city and state to maintain the island for public use was reached in 2000 180 Throughout this time the federal government continued to maintain the island for 20 million a year 186 nbsp Aerial view in 2009 facing northeast In a last minute act while in office President Clinton designated a 22 acre 8 9 ha area including Fort Jay and Castle Williams as Governors Island National Monument on January 19 2001 The monument would be administered by the National Park Service 6 The following year it was announced that Governors Island would become public property though the transfer of the island was delayed due to the 2002 New York gubernatorial election 187 On January 31 2003 the rest of the island s 150 acres as well as 32 acres 13 ha of underwater land were sold for a nominal sum reported to be 1 and placed under the management of a joint city state agency the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation GIPEC 186 188 The transfer included deed restrictions which prohibit permanent housing or casinos on the island 189 190 The agreements also stipulated that 40 acres 16 ha of land had to be used as parkland and another 50 acres 20 ha had to be used for educational civic or cultural purposes 188 In practice the deed restriction precludes most long term development on Governors Island 184 Progress on redevelopment was slow but in early 2006 Governor George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched a competition for ideas to preserve Governors Island 191 During this period the National Park Service and GIPEC began conducting restorations on parts of Governors Island 192 Major construction was necessary to convert the island for public use such as repairs to the seawall and removal of asbestos 191 By 2006 the GIPEC had awarded leases to its first two tenants 193 The public was first allowed to visit the island in 2005 and eight thousand visitors came that year 184 194 195 At first Governors Island was only open during summer weekends except for a few concerts Bikes and ferry services were made free in order to attract visitors 184 Art exhibits were later added 195 Phase 1 and 2 renovations edit nbsp Lower Manhattan from Outlook Hill s summit the tallest artificial hill on the island open space bike paths and a Staten Island Ferry boat are visible In mid 2007 GIPEC announced five finalist design teams 193 namely West 8 Diller Scofidio Renfro Rogers Marvel Architects Quennell Rothschild amp Partners and SMWM 196 197 West 8 ultimately won the contest 197 198 199 The plan included 87 acres 35 ha of open space as well as provided for the restoration of the historic district and a new park on the island s southern portion 199 Artificial hills were part of West 8 s plan for the island 200 as were free bicycle rentals 199 196 201 Since the island was windy West 8 designed their proposed topography to provide moments of shelter 196 Some plans were not implemented these included an aerial gondola system designed by Santiago Calatrava 202 196 as well as a proposal by Center for Urban Real Estate CURE at Columbia University to physically connect Manhattan to Governors Island using landfill 203 A proposal to convert Castle Williams into a theater in the style of London s Globe Theatre was designed by architect Norman Foster in 2005 but was deemed unsuitable for the castle s design 204 205 Additionally in 2008 there were unrealized plans to relocate the security and ticketing checkpoints for the Liberty Island and Ellis Island tourist ferries from the Battery to Governors Island bringing as many as 500 000 additional people to Governors Island each year 206 The number of tenants on Governors Island started to increase though they numbered fewer than 1 000 as of 2014 189 In 2009 a 3 acre 12 000 m2 commercial organic farm operated by the non profit organization Added Value was launched 207 In 2010 the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School relocated from Bushwick Brooklyn to building 550 on Governors Island Also opened that year were artist studios run by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and housed in a portion of Building 110 208 Demolition of old structures on Governors Island began in 2008 with the destruction of a derelict motel 209 210 In April 2010 the city took control of the island s development and GIPEC was succeeded by the Trust for Governors Island 211 192 The city also unveiled a new master development plan that preserved the historic north end of Governors Island developed the middle and southern portions of the island as a park and reserved the western and eastern sections for private development 211 The administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg had provided funding for the first phase of construction 212 Construction on the 260 million park started May 24 2012 213 214 and the Coast Guard era military housing complexes were demolished 215 As part of phase 1 of the master plan Soissons Landing was upgraded with new ferry docks and a waiting plaza while the Parade Ground was regraded for lawn sports while the Historic District gained concessions 212 In 2013 construction started on a new potable water connection which replaced a locally illegal connection from the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel as well as repairs to the seawall 189 The 6 acre 2 4 ha Liggett Terrace courtyard was built in 2014 as was Hammock Grove and a new play structure 189 216 The Oyster Pavilion opened in June 2015 217 followed by the 10 acre 4 0 ha Hills section of the park in July 2016 218 219 The island became more popular over the years While it attracted 275 000 visitors in 2009 220 over 800 000 people came to the island in 2018 184 Later modifications edit In September 2016 the Trust for Governors Island and the New York City Economic Development Corporation started an online survey to develop ideas for Governors Island as a year round destination 221 222 223 Two years later mayor Bill de Blasio opened a formal process to rezone the remaining un redeveloped portions of Governors Island for dormitory office or educational use 184 224 225 The proposed rezoning drew opposition from activists who wanted Governors Island to be kept largely as is 226 Also in 2018 the city s government held the NYCx Governors Island Connectivity Challenge asking three companies to test out 5G technology on Governors Island if the project was successful the city s government would pursue a wider rollout of 5G in New York City 227 228 The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council s expanded Arts Center at Governors Island opened in September 2019 in a renovated former ordnance warehouse at the north end of the island The new Arts Center features gallery exhibition and performance space as well as studio areas for up to 40 artists 229 The opening of the Arts Center added LMCC to the island s community of year round tenants which also includes Billion Oyster Project an organization to restore New York Harbor s oyster population and biodiversity the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School a high school focused on maritime vocational education and QC NY a destination day spa 230 In October 2019 city officials proposed constructing a climate change research center on the island 231 232 In March 2020 the Trust for Governors Island issued a Request for Proposals seeking arts and culture organizations to become year round tenants in two historic buildings in Nolan Park 233 During 2020 as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic in New York City the island opened two months later than usual and a timed ticketing system limited daily visitation to 5 000 234 235 In September 2021 mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the island would operate year round rather than from May through October 236 237 Though there were no full time residents at the time the Trust for Governors Island started expanding nighttime access to the island following the announcement Additionally two organizations announced plans to host about a dozen residents by 2022 238 The QC NY spa opened inside a former barracks on the north side of the island in March 2022 239 240 and the Gitano Island beach club opened that July 241 242 In April 2023 the Trust for Governors Island selected Stony Brook University to construct a 400 000 square foot 37 000 m2 climate research lab on the island which was planned to cost 700 million and be complete in 2028 243 244 The lab designed by Skidmore Owings amp Merrill is to consist of two narrow structures connected by a solar paneled roof 245 Geography editGovernors Island comprises 172 acres 70 ha of land 73 About 22 acres 9 ha are operated by the National Park Service while the rest are under the jurisdiction of The Trust for Governors Island 246 The island is about 400 yd 370 m west of Brooklyn and 800 yd 730 m south of Manhattan 247 Politically it is part of the borough of Manhattan and shares the ZIP Code 10004 with the blocks around South Ferry in Manhattan 248 Governors Island contains several named streets mostly in the northern part of the island The entirety of the island is surrounded by a waterfront promenade 249 nbsp Aerial view of the original island Governors Island s shape is roughly characterized as resembling an ice cream cone 250 The 69 acre 28 ha northern part of the island is original and can be described as the ice cream while the artificial 103 acre 42 ha southern section can be described as the cone 250 251 Functionally the island is bisected by Division Road and Liggett Hall which separate the NPS operated northern section from the parkland in the southern section 252 The highest natural point on Governors Island is 40 feet 12 m above mean water level at the base of Fort Jay in the northern portion of the island The southern section formerly was lowland and was located no more than 13 5 feet 4 1 m above mean sea level 251 but since the construction of the new parkland in the 2010s has contained the Hills which range from 26 to 70 feet 7 9 to 21 3 m high 253 This construction part of the island s Park and Public Space Master Plan included various measures to make the island more resilient against the effects of climate change like raising much of the south island out of the 100 year flood plain and replacing the old sea wall with a layer of riprap to better mitigate wave action 254 A 2023 study found that Governors Island was sinking at a rate of about 3 4 0 8 millimeters 0 134 0 031 in per year making it among the fastest sinking locations in New York City 255 This is mainly because the southern part of the island was created through land reclamation 255 256 Notable structures editFortifications edit Main articles Fort Jay and Castle Williams nbsp Fort Jay Several fortifications were built on Governors Island to protect New York Harbor These worked in conjunction with Castle Clinton at the southern tip of Manhattan as well as Fort Wood on Liberty Island and Fort Gibson on Ellis Island 257 258 The existing fortifications were meant to protect the city during the War of 1812 259 Fort Jay located at the center of the original northern portion of Governors Island is the oldest having been built in 1794 51 53 It was built on the highest point of the island with a glacis sloping down from all sides 260 261 The initial fortifications degraded to such a point that they were replaced in 1806 56 57 58 Fort Jay was initially named for New York governor John Jay 262 but after being rebuilt was known as Fort Columbus until about 1904 57 58 55 The rebuilt fort which reused the original glacis and many of the original walls comprised an enclosed pentagonal work with four bastions of masonry calculated for one hundred guns and initially included a 230 person brick barracks Though Fort Jay has been renovated multiple times throughout its history its current appearance largely stems from renovations in the 1830s 262 The walls of Fort Jay are made of sandstone and granite with an arrow shaped ravelin on the northern wall The fortification is surrounded by a moat that is now dry 45 260 261 Castle Williams was built from 1807 through 1811 on the northwestern corner of the island 56 58 59 on what was then a submerged rock 260 Named for USACE chief engineer Jonathan Williams 257 it is a cylindrical four tiered sandstone building measuring 40 feet 12 m high by 210 feet 64 m in diameter The walls taper from 8 to 7 feet 2 4 to 2 1 m from bottom to top The building is four tiered with 13 casemates on each tier each having a capacity of two cannons for a total capacity of 104 cannons 260 261 77 Two structures inside the southern side of the fort were removed in 1900 260 A third structure called the South Battery or Half Moon Battery is located at the southeast corner of the original island near Buttermilk Channel and was built before the War of 1812 46 60 61 The arrowhead shaped South Battery contained 13 barbette guns mounted on the parapet and facing Buttermilk Channel as well as a barracks inside 260 263 It was then used as an officer s mess and Catholic chapel by 1878 as a court martial room by the 1880s and as an amusement hall after a 1904 renovation 264 265 263 From the 1930s South Battery was also used as an officers club 260 263 Open landscapes edit Northern portion edit nbsp Fort Jay s glacis left and barracks right looking toward Manhattan There are four open landscapes in the historic northern part of Governors Island 249 266 The northernmost is the glacis of Fort Jay a treeless grassy area that slopes down from all sides of the fort 260 261 The glacis formed a buffer between the walls of Fort Jay and the moat at the bottom of the slope 266 The glacis contained a polo field as well as the Governors Island Golf Course 122 124 To the southeast of Fort Jay is Nolan Park a formal trapezoidal area with tree lined walks that is surrounded by former officers quarters and administrative buildings The park s eastern border curves southwest toward the southern end of the area while the western and northern borders are roughly perpendicular to each other 252 267 268 Nolan Park s current configuration dates to the 1870s 71 267 and it was named after Major General Dennis E Nolan who was First Army s commander from 1933 to 1936 266 A bandstand formerly existed on the site 268 269 Governors Island s Parade Ground is located directly west of Nolan Park and south of Fort Jay and is about 13 acres 5 3 ha 270 The parade ground slopes downward away from Fort Jay and toward the waterfront to the south 271 It was used as both a military training ground and as an execution site for prisoners stockaded at Castle Williams 266 The golf course formerly extended into the parade ground 124 271 though remnants of the golf course still exist 271 The fourth open landscape is the triangle between Clayton and Hay Roads 267 also known as Colonels Row Green or Hay Park located southwest of Fort Jay and northeast of Liggett Hall 252 It was created in the early 20th century and forms a wedge shape between Hay Road to the east which forms the island s original southwest shoreline and Clayton Road and Liggett Hall to the southwest 267 Southern portion edit nbsp Governors Island s southern half including new parkland The southern portion of Governors Island includes a park that covers more than 43 acres 17 ha 272 The north end of the park contains Hammock Grove a landscaped area of rolling hills with over 60 tree species The grove s hills are located up to 27 feet 8 2 m above mean sea level preventing it from flooding 273 The grove itself is 10 acres 4 0 ha and contains 50 hammocks 216 Immediately to the west is the 14 acre 5 7 ha Play Lawn which contains two turf fields that can be used for baseball 216 274 The paths in this portion of Governors Island are meandering in a style similar to Frederick Law Olmsted s designs of Central Park and Prospect Park which incorporate winding paths to reinforce a secluded atmosphere 275 nbsp A view of the new parklands Manhattan s Financial District is visible in the distance The south end of the park contains the Hills section of Governors Island which covers 10 acres The Hills consists of four hills that are 26 to 70 feet 7 9 to 21 3 m high and are made partially of reclaimed debris from the demolition of the island s former residential towers 253 218 219 Each hill has a trail that leads up to their peak From shortest to tallest the hills are the 26 foot Grassy Hill the 40 foot 12 m Discovery Hill with site specific artwork 218 the 40 foot Slide Hill which contains four long slides 219 274 and the 70 foot Outlook Hill which contains an observation area at its peak with views of New York Harbor Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn 218 275 The Hills includes over 41 000 shrubs and 860 new trees 218 The Hills cost 70 million to build the construction of the Hills was funded in part by Google CEO Eric Schmidt who donated 15 million 194 At the southernmost tip of Governors Island is Picnic Point 249 This area contains grills and picnic tables close to the waterfront 276 Other structures edit When the Coast Guard abandoned Governors Island in 1996 there were 49 buildings built before 1917 mostly in the northern part of the island and 121 buildings built after 1917 mostly in the southern part The southern part was mostly residential and industrial while the northern part was mixed use The island was relatively low density with extensive open space 277 Residential edit Governors Island contains several clusters of low rise officers housing now mostly unoccupied though some structures are used as exhibits or for administrative purposes The two largest sections of housing in the historical northern part of the island are Colonel s Row buildings 403 410 252 278 279 as well as the structures around Nolan Park buildings 1 20 252 100 268 nbsp The Block House in Nolan Park nbsp Colonels Row red brick houses 406 and 407 Nolan Park contains several structures that are historical in their own right 100 268 The Admiral s House Commanding Officer s Quarters building 1 a two story Colonial Revival brick house built in 1843 280 268 281 is listed separately on the NRHP and as a city landmark 282 283 To the north is the Governor s House building 2 a two story Georgian brick house built c 1805 1813 280 268 284 The southeast corner of Nolan Park contains the Block House building 9 a two story Greek Revival building built in 1843 which served initially as a post hospital and later as administrative offices and officers quarters 285 286 287 Buildings 3 5 built in the 1850s 6 11 and 14 18 built in 1878 1879 and 19 20 built in the 1890s all served as two company officers quarters 288 286 Building 12 a three story Georgian Revival brick apartment complex was constructed in 1928 or 1931 to house the 16th Infantry Regiment 280 289 286 The eastern side of Colonel s Row contains eight individual officers quarters numbered 403 from north to south 278 279 which initially faced the original shoreline southwest of Hays Road 73 290 291 The first structures to be built buildings 405 408 were designed in accordance with the same Quartermaster General plans and were built in 1893 1895 as two family duplexes 279 292 290 This was followed by buildings 403 404 built in 1904 1906 also to the same plan 279 292 291 The two and a half story building 409 a Colonial Revival structure was designed as Bachelor Officers Quarters and was completed in 1910 279 292 293 while building 410 was built as a duplex officer s quarters in 1917 and is the only structure of the Modified Arts and Crafts design on the island 279 292 294 nbsp Building 550 now the New York Harbor School The southwestern side of Colonel s Row is dominated by Liggett Hall building 400 a three to four story barracks that spans nearly the entire width of Governors Island measuring 1 023 feet 312 m long with two 225 foot long 69 m wings extending south Initially built in 1930 for the 16th Infantry it was among the largest military barracks in the world when completed and was the first Army building intended to house an entire regiment The building contains a ground level arcade that bisects the first and second floors as well as an annex to the southeast 295 292 296 Two nearly identical Georgian Revival structures building 550 now the New York Harbor School to the north and building 333 to the south are located directly adjacent to Liggett Hall The three story structures are both U shaped with the wings surrounding a front courtyard they were built in 1932 as detachment housing for the First Army before being used by the Coast Guard as classrooms 263 297 298 Nearby are a smaller pair of nearly identical 3 1 2 story family housing blocks for the 16th Regiment built in 1940 These consist of building 555 to the north of building 550 and building 315 near the southern waterfront south of the YMCA and theater 263 299 298 Several other residential structures exist throughout the northern part of Governors Island Buildings 111 and 112 a pair of three story neo Georgian structures on the island s east side were built in 1934 to a design by Rogers amp Poor These served as officers quarters for the 16th Regiment accommodating additional officers once Liggett Hall was full 300 301 302 Inside Fort Jay were four buildings numbered 202 206 210 and 214 these were nearly identical Greek Revival barracks that housed soldiers at the fort 303 304 302 305 The north side of the island between Castle Williams to the west and Soissons Dock to the east contains the Fort Jay Nurses Quarters building 114 a 2 1 2 story neo Georgian brick with concrete structure designed by Rogers amp Poor this later became bachelor officers quarters as well 306 301 302 Officers quarters were also located in building 135 a former storehouse along the northeastern waterfront built in 1835 261 307 nbsp A two and a half story yellow house in Nolan Park Many of the former residences located in Nolan Park and Colonels Row now serve as seasonal homes to a variety of arts and culture organizations that typically offer free programs for visitors during the Island s public season 308 During the 2020 season indoor programs were suspended due to the COVID 19 pandemic in New York City As a result many of the organizations based in the former homes joined the Governors Island Residency Initiative to offer the houses as free workspace for artists and cultural workers 309 Formerly residential apartment blocks ranging up to 11 stories tall were located on the southern half of Governors Island 252 There were 594 total apartments each with 2 to 5 bedrooms spread out across three apartment complexes Unlike the housing on the island s north side these structures were not historically protected 277 The largest of these structures the 11 story 165 unit Cunningham Apartments building 877 was located on the island s north side Built in 1968 it was imploded in 2013 something uncommon in the city 310 311 312 Religious edit nbsp Episcopal Chapel of St CorneliusReligious practice on Governors Island dates to the opening of the first chapel in 1846 75 76 77 There later came to be three houses of worship on Governors Island 74 The Chapel of St Cornelius the Centurion building 13 a two story limestone structure in the southern part of Nolan Park was designed by Charles C Haight and built in 1907 replacing the old 1846 chapel 100 101 74 Throughout the chapel s history chaplains have been assigned by several different entities namely the Army Coast Guard and Trinity Church 313 Maintenance was performed by Trinity Church until 1986 when it turned operations over to the Coast Guard under condition that Trinity Church would resume maintenance duties if and when the Coast Guard left the island 314 313 A Catholic church called Our Lady Star of the Sea was built in 1942 74 315 The one story clapboard structure is located at Clayton and Comfort Roads on the north shore of Governors Island 316 315 A synagogue housing Congregation Shaare Shomayim 317 was established in 1960 in what is known as building S 40 The one story clapboard building located east of Barry Road on the island s east shore was initially a temporary building used for storage 318 319 Office and storage edit Several buildings were built as part of the Arsenal but have not been used as residential structures instead being utilized for office or storage space These include buildings 104 and 107 originally used as storehouses 105 a two winged structure used as an armory and office and 110 used as a quartermaster s depot and storehouse Building 110 is now home to the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council s Arts Center at Governors Island which opened in September 2019 320 All were built in brick from the 1850s through 1870s 301 321 138 Buildings 106 pump house and 108 and 109 offices were built during the 1940s in the same style as the other structures though building 109 replaced a wooden structure built in 1918 322 138 Pershing Hall building 125 a three story brick building north of buildings 107 and 108 on the northern waterfront served as the headquarters for the First Army when built in 1934 323 268 The waterfront contains several buildings including building 130 the original Arsenal workshop as well as building 134 a modern structure which hosted offices for USCG Group Station New York 261 307 138 Governors Island also has several small vehicular garages of varying styles Most of these garages were built in the 1930s and 1940s during the WPA s renovations of the island 324 325 305 Service structures edit nbsp Building 515 Post Hospital The northwest side of the island hosts building 515 the former Post Hospital later used as enlisted bachelors housing The three story brick and limestone building was constructed in 1935 to a Neo Georgian design by McKim Mead amp White 326 327 105 Nearby is the Tampa Memorial Library building S 251 a one story rectangular wooden building Constructed in 1908 it originally served as a storehouse and was renamed after the sinking of the cutter Tampa in 1918 328 329 The area around the South Battery south of the Parade Ground includes several former service structures Building 301 a single story brick building near the waterfront housed an elementary school called PS 26 It was originally built in 1934 though two wings were added in 1959 1960 330 261 265 To the west is building 324 constructed in 1926 as the Army YMCA 296 331 265 The War Department Theater building 330 a two story 700 seat theater built in 1937 1939 is located west of the YMCA facing the southern portion of Governors Island 296 332 265 Formerly located near the South Battery was the former Governors Island Guest House Super 8 Motel in building 293 333 The one and a half story brick building was originally a quarters built in 1871 1872 329 334 304 The abandoned motel was demolished in 2007 2008 to expand the Parade Ground 97 210 On the southern part of Governors Island was building 785 which included a fast food restaurant and a bowling alley Building 902 houses several FDNY fire protection vehicles 335 Monuments edit The Monumental Setting for Bronze Plaque a brick monumental bench with stone trim between buildings 406 and 407 was built by the WPA in 1938 105 336 337 The Early Birds Monument originally dedicated in 1954 south of Liggett Hall is a bronze cast of a Wright Brothers plane s propeller on a granite base 104 105 that commemorates early aviation on the island 336 338 Operations editManagement edit nbsp Site specific information panel one of many installed by the National Park Service within Governors Island National Monument Three organizations work in partnership to maintain the island the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy the Trust for Governors Island and Friends of Governors Island 339 National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy edit The National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy a 501 c 3 non profit organization is responsible for managing the 22 acres 8 9 ha that comprise the Governors Island National Monument It works with the National Parks of New York Harbor a branch of the National Park Service in a public private partnership and is the official nonprofit partner for the National Parks of New York Harbor 339 340 The Conservancy was founded in 2003 because the NPS is legally prohibited from operating its own business ventures 341 The National Park Service owns and operates the monument itself 342 Trust for Governors Island edit The Trust for Governors Island legally the Governors Island Corporation is a nonprofit organization of the city government that is responsible for managing the redevelopment for the rest of the island 339 343 Its predecessor the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation GIPEC was founded in 2003 when Governors Island was sold to the public At the time GIPEC was a partnership between the city and the state 186 188 In April 2010 the city entered an agreement to take full control of the island s development from the state of New York 211 GIPEC was then dissolved and superseded by the Trust for Governors Island 339 192 The Trust is charged with the planning redevelopment and ongoing operations of the 150 acres 61 ha that are not part of the national monument 344 The organization is also responsible for coordinating public art displays on the island 345 The Trust s first artistic curator Meredith Johnson was hired in 2016 346 In 2024 Lauren Haynes was appointed as the Trust s head curator 345 Friends of Governors Island edit The Friends of Governors Island is the private nonprofit organization that manages the island s operations and programming 339 347 It was founded as the Governors Island Alliance in 1995 following the Coast Guard s decision to vacate the island The Alliance and its 50 member organizations led a campaign to return the island to New York for public purposes Since 2014 the Alliance has been an independent non profit and in 2016 it was renamed Friends of Governors Island The Friends run volunteer and membership programs raise money and perform advocacy for the island 347 Working dogs edit Governors Island employs working dogs to chase the Canada geese off of the island The working dogs provide a humane geese disbursement method for the super flocks of Canada geese that migrate through the New York Harbor 348 Before the dog program started in 2015 attempts to use R C cars strobe lights and a special laser to chase the geese all failed 348 Chasing the geese from the island helps avoid the large amount of bird droppings they leave behind as well as mitigates their aggressive nature Keeping the super flocks off the island helps protect both other bird species and park visitors as Canada geese are known to be hostile during nesting season The Working Dogs program began in January 2015 when Jim Reed Director of Park and Public Space adopted Max a Border Collie who came from a failed career as a farm dog 348 As of 2019 update the Governors Island working dog team is composed of four dogs 349 350 A Border Collie named Quinn was added to the team of working dogs in 2017 351 followed by a Border Collie named Chip in mid 2018 and a mini Aussie named Aspen in late 2018 350 The dogs are popular on social media with a growing following 350 In addition to their duties chasing geese the dogs serve as ambassadors to Governors Island guests 348 Cannonball removal edit The majority of cannonballs and shells from the island s military history had already been removed by the 21st century In 1900 the government sold 5 635 tons of cannonballs to an iron dealer who intended on smelting the iron in order to build trains and other machinery 352 More were sold in 1942 and smelted down to support World War II manufacturing efforts 353 Cannonballs continue to be found for example a 350 pound cannonball was found near Soissons Landing in 2012 and deemed to not be at risk of explosion 354 355 Inactivated cannonballs are available for viewing near Fort Jay 353 Activities edit nbsp Looking north from the Hills at the Longines Global Champions Tour event site in 2019 Activities on the island include free National Park Service tours of the National Monument bike riding picnicking art installations fairs festivals and concerts 356 The northern half contains Governors Island National Monument as well as the Governors Island Historic District The southern half contains the 43 acre park constructed and operated by the Trust for Governors Island 254 Recurring activities edit Various free activities are offered on Governors Island The houses around Nolan Park and Colonels row host arts culture and educational exhibits during typical public seasons 356 357 Downtown Boathouse has offered free kayaking classes at Pier 101 358 359 360 In addition there are several NPS operated walking tours and self guided tours of Governors Island s historic landmarks 276 356 Other public programs and exhibits are available 361 including an adventure playground operated by play groundNYC called The Yard 361 362 as well as a compost site run by Earth Matter called the Compost Learning Center and a functioning urban farm the Teaching Garden run by GrowNYC 356 361 The American Indian Community House a non profit that works to improve the well being of the American Indian community and increase visibility of the community s culture uses the Admiral s House to present exhibitions performances and other cultural and educational programs 363 Some activities require additional fees QC NY an Italian based day spa spanning two buildings on the north side of the island contains a courtyard with heated pools and lawn chairs overlooking Manhattan it offers personal treatments in addition to its saunas 364 Collective Retreats a glamorous camping or glamping retreat allows its guests to use the island three hours before the island opens to the general public each day and several tiers of accommodations and activities are provided at progressively higher prices 365 366 Though Collective Retreats can accommodate about 70 campers per night there are no full time residents on the island as of 2022 update 238 For travel throughout the island Blazing Saddles rents out bikes and pedicabs and there are also three Citi Bike bike sharing stations on the island 356 367 Events edit nbsp Visitors trick or treating during the Island s Pumpkin Point fall event in Nolan Park October 2019 Many events take place on Governors Island during a typical public season including outdoor films food and art festivals runs concerts and a pumpkin patch in October 368 The Governors Island Art Fair run by the art collective 4heads and now known as Portal Governors Island Art Fair has taken place annually on the island during weekends in September since 2007 Originally located in buildings on Colonel s Row the event has also hosted artists in Castle Williams and Fort Jay 369 370 Many concerts have also taken place on the island For instance the Rite of Summer Festival a series of free concerts has been held on the island throughout the summer since 2011 371 372 356 The Jazz Age Lawn Party a two day long Prohibition era cosplay event is also hosted on the island 356 373 In September 2019 the Longines Global Champions Tour a globe traveling equestrian jumping league made its New York debut on Governors Island 374 Past attractions have included a Dutch festival called Goverthing in 2009 375 376 as well as a French carnival in 2013 that contained 19th and 20th century rides 184 377 378 Several previous large concerts have also been held on Governors Island These include the inaugural Governors Ball Music Festival in 2011 though it moved to Randalls Island for subsequent seasons 184 Public access editAs of 2021 update Governors Island is open year round operating from 7 a m to 6 15 p m seven days a week 236 237 Until 2015 Governors Island was publicly accessible only on summer weekends and was rarely open during nighttime except during concerts 184 From 2015 to 2020 the island was open seven days a week but only from May through October 236 237 History edit The first public boat service to Governors Island was instituted in 1794 when John Hillyer was given a franchise to operate a rowboat line to the island collecting a fare of three cents per person 379 380 The Army took over the franchise as passenger traffic grew operating barges from South Ferry or the Battery in Manhattan 50 381 The first recorded port of departure at the Battery located south of what is now Castle Clinton opened in 1854 At that point there were two barges that each had a maximum capacity of 12 people 381 74 Test runs of steamboat service started in 1844 and they supplanted the former open barges by 1879 50 74 Many of the passengers were employees at the New York Armory on Governors Island 69 By 1879 an ugly little tug that charged 15 cent fares for travel to the island was replaced with a steamboat 382 Around 1897 it was announced that the ferry service would be overhauled to accommodate the expanded Army presence on the island 383 Three new ferryboats with capacity of 823 passengers and 21 cars were added in 1925 1929 Two of these were replaced in 1956 with larger vessels that could hold 1 100 passengers and 32 cars 384 Public ferry access from Manhattan started in 2005 at the time the ferry was free on weekends 385 Starting in 2010 weekend ferry service commenced between Governors Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park s Pier 6 at Atlantic Avenue 386 In June 2011 NY Waterway started service to points along the East River 387 On May 1 2017 that route became part of NYC Ferry s East River route 388 389 A new 400 person vessel named Governors 1 as delivered in 2019 in anticipation of large crowds supplementing the existing vessel Lt Samuel Coursen The same year NYC Ferry added a weekend only shuttle from Pier 11 Wall Street to Governors Island replacing the East River and South Brooklyn service to the island 390 In December 2023 the federal government awarded 7 5 million for the construction of electric charging equipment for the Governors Island Ferry fleet 391 392 Current services edit nbsp Governors Island s two ferries the Governors 1 left and Lt Samuel Coursen right docked at Soissons Landing at the north end of the island in 2019 Governors Island has two ferry landings Soissons Landing and Yankee Pier Soissons Landing located at the northern shore of the island contains two slips The current cast iron piers of Soissons Landing were built in 1947 and commemorate the Battle of Soissons during World War I during which over half of the 16th Regiment were killed 393 Building 148 a brick waiting room built in 1917 is located directly to the west 394 395 Ferries travel from here to Slip 7 at the Battery Maritime Building located adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal in Manhattan s Financial District 396 The ride is about 7 minutes long 397 These ferries are operated by HMS Ferries for The Trust for Governors Island and operate daily when the island is open 356 398 399 Ferries also operate to Yankee Pier on the southeastern side of the island which is served by two ferry routes One route is operated by HMS Ferries for The Trust on weekends and travels to Red Hook as of the 2020 season update 400 though it traveled to Pier 6 of Brooklyn Bridge Park prior to 2020 390 398 The second route is the Governors Island route operated by NYC Ferry during summer weekends the route travels to Pier 11 Wall Street in Manhattan s Financial District where it meets the other six NYC Ferry routes 390 398 401 Starting in November 2021 NYC Ferry has run the South Brooklyn route from Yankee Pier during the winter and on summer weekdays The South Brooklyn route travels to Red Hook Piers 1 and 6 of Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 11 Wall Street and Corlears Hook in Manhattan 402 Ferries operated by the Trust run half hourly As of 2022 update the Trust charges a round trip fare of 4 per person children seniors and certain groups of adults ride for free and no fare is charged during weekend mornings 398 While the ferry to Manhattan runs seven days a week the ferry to Brooklyn runs only on weekends 356 398 NYC Ferry services run half hourly 401 and charge 2 75 for a one way trip with one free transfer to another route 403 404 The main ferryboat operated by the Trust is the Samuel S Coursen 405 a passenger and vehicular ferry built for the Army in 1956 and named for soldier Samuel S Coursen 406 A second vessel Governors 1 entered service in 2019 407 408 it can carry 400 passengers and can travel at up to 14 knots 26 km h 16 mph 409 As of 2023 update the Trust is replacing the Coursen with a battery electric vessel carrying up to 1 200 people 410 411 Notable people editNeal Adams 1941 2022 comic book and commercial artist born on the island 412 Withers A Burress 1894 1977 commanding general of the 100th Division during World War II finished his military career as commander of the First United States Army at Fort Jay from 1952 to 1954 413 Winfield Scott Hancock 1824 1886 United States Army officer and a Democratic nominee for President of the United States died at the island while in command of the Military Division of the Atlantic 414 Peter Marzio 1943 2010 former director of Museum of Fine Arts Houston 415 Smothers Brothers Tom Smothers born 1937 and Dick Smothers born 1939 entertainers born on the island 184 See also editList of Civil War prisons and camps List of National Historic Landmarks in New York City National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan on islands List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan on smaller islandsReferences editCitations edit 2010 Census Tracts Manhattan Community District 1 PDF New York City Department of City Planning Cultural Resource Information System CRIS New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation November 7 2014 Retrieved July 20 2023 a b Stout David June 19 1996 Governors Island Historic District Created The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service January 23 2007 a b Governors Island National Historic Landmark summary listing National Park Service September 11 2007 Archived from the original on March 14 2013 Retrieved December 5 2005 a b Hernandez Raymond Stewart Barbara January 21 2001 Clinton With Time Running Out Protects Part of Governors Island The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 a b c Bowen A Van Crowninshield Smith J 1826 The Boston News letter And City Record American periodical series 1800 1850 Abel Bowen p 94 Retrieved May 17 2019 a b Stevens A Floy J 1858 The National Magazine Carlton amp Phillips p 446 Retrieved May 17 2019 a b c d Smith 1913 p 11 a b c d e Novak 2010 p 9 a b Glen S L Shaver M 2006 Governors Island Images of America Arcadia Pub ISBN 978 0 7385 3895 2 Retrieved May 17 2019 Governors Island NYC Audubon nycaudubon com Retrieved July 9 2021 a b c d e f Boggs 1950 p 3 The View from the South Top of The World Trade Center Archived from the original on February 9 2001 a b c d e f Novak 2010 p 10 a b c Boggs 1950 p 2 Mixit Productions The New Amsterdam Trail A Virtual Tour nyharborparks org Retrieved June 26 2015 GovIsland named NYS birthplace Legislature agrees to legacy tolerancepark org Retrieved June 26 2015 Smith 1913 pp 18 20 Smith 1913 p 20 Schoolcraft Henry L 1907 The Capture of New Amsterdam The English Historical Review 22 88 674 693 doi 10 1093 ehr XXII LXXXVIII 674 JSTOR 550138 a b c d e f g h i j k l A Brief History of Governors Island Governors Island National Monument U S National Park Service January 5 2015 Retrieved November 19 2015 a b c d Smith 1913 p 25 United States Coast Guard 1973 pp 15 16 Smith 1913 p 32 Smith 1913 pp 29 30 a b c Novak 2010 p 11 Boggs 1950 p 4 Smith 1913 p 33 a b United States Coast Guard 1973 p 17 a b c Novak 2010 p 12 Smith 1913 pp 35 36 Designs for fortifying Governors Island near New York Library of Congress Retrieved May 19 2019 a b c d e Novak 2010 p 13 a b c Smith 1913 pp 41 43 Livingston W F 1901 Israel Putnam Pioneer Ranger and Major general 1718 1790 American men of energy G P Putnam s sons p 276 Retrieved May 19 2019 Washington G Chase P D Grizzard F E 1985 The Papers of George Washington Revolutionary War series University Press of Virginia ISBN 978 0 8139 1307 0 Retrieved May 19 2019 a b c d NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 25 a b c Boggs 1950 p 6 a b Novak 2010 p 14 a b Smith 1913 pp 47 48 a b c Novak 2010 p 15 a b c Boggs 1950 p 7 Historic Timeline of The Battery The Battery Conservancy Archived from the original on March 20 2007 a b c d e United States Coast Guard 1973 pp 18 19 a b c d Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 3 PDF p 8 Novak 2010 p 16 a b c d Hough Franklin Benjamin 1885 Historical and Statistical Record of the University of the State of New York During the Century from 1784 to 1884 Weed Parsons printers pp 82 83 a b c Novak 2010 p 30 a b c d Boggs 1950 p 9 a b c d Smith 1913 p 54 Novak 2010 p 32 a b c d NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 26 Novak 2010 pp 33 34 a b c d e f Boggs 1950 pp 10 11 a b c d e f Smith 1913 pp 55 56 a b c d NRHI Nomination Form 1985 pp 27 28 a b c d e f Novak 2010 pp 35 36 a b NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 29 a b c NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 30 a b Novak 2010 p 37 Novak 2010 p 38 a b c Boggs 1950 p 14 a b Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 14 PDF p 19 a b Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 15 PDF p 20 Novak 2010 p 52 Kaufmann J E Kaufmann H W September 10 2007 Fortress America The Forts That Defended America 1600 to the Present Hachette Books p 233 ISBN 9780306816345 a b c d e f NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 35 a b c Novak 2010 p 53 Smith 1913 p 125 a b c d e Novak 2010 p 54 a b c d e Novak 2010 p 55 a b c d e Ruggiero Nina May 1 2017 Governors Island is back for the season secrets and all am New York Retrieved May 23 2019 a b c d e f g h i j k l United States Coast Guard 1973 pp 22 23 a b Smith 1913 p 130 a b c d e f g NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 36 a b c United States Coast Guard 1973 pp 20 21 a b Smith 1913 p 82 a b Boggs 1950 p 15 Novak 2010 p 73 Novak 2010 p 74 Novak 2010 p 75 a b Smith 1913 p 86 Board of Health The Yellow Fever War The New York Times October 12 1870 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 22 2019 Harbor Defenses the Fortifications on Governor s Island The New York Times December 13 1873 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 22 2019 NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 34 Novak 2010 p 76 Smith 1913 p 87 Hickmann H Lanier Jr 2003 American alchemy the history of solid waste management in the United States ForesterPress p 269 ISBN 978 0 9707687 2 8 a b c d Novak 2010 p 77 Governor s Island for a Park The New York Times July 30 1888 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 22 2019 a b Proposed Enlargement of Governors Island Brooklyn Daily Eagle January 6 1901 p 6 Retrieved October 4 2018 via Brooklyn Public Library newspapers com nbsp a b c d Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 5 PDF p 10 Chan Sewell August 10 2016 An Elusive Island of Good Intentions City Room Retrieved May 15 2019 a b c d e f g Novak 2010 p 78 a b Transformation of Governors Island Picturesque Army Reservation Doubled in Size The New York Times May 15 1910 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 23 2019 a b Governors Island History Governors Island Retrieved May 31 2019 a b c d e Boggs 1950 p 16 Governors Island Plans Scheme for Improvement of the Topography Agreed Upon The New York Times April 16 1902 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 23 2019 a b c d Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 4 PDF p 9 a b Smith 1913 p 78 Wright Flies Twenty Miles Up the Hudson Over the Warships as Far as Grant s Tomb and Back to Governors Island The New York Times October 5 1909 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 23 2019 The Flight s End In Semi Darkness Cheers Rend the Air as the Aviator Drops Gracefully Down on Governors Island The New York Times June 14 1910 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 23 2019 a b c United States Coast Guard 1973 p 24 a b c d Governors Island EIS 1998 p 253 a b Novak 2010 p 79 Fitzpatrick K C 2017 World War I New York A Guide to the City s Enduring Ties to The Great War Globe Pequot Press pp 2 3 ISBN 978 1 4930 2804 7 Retrieved May 23 2019 Novak 2010 p 80 World s Shortest Railroad Ordered Scrapped Built on Governors Island During the War The New York Times February 12 1931 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 23 2019 Plagianos Irene June 19 2014 Mysterious Railroad Relic Unearthed on Governors Island DNAinfo New York Archived from the original on May 23 2019 Retrieved May 23 2019 a b Boggs 1950 p 17 Novak 2010 p 103 a b Novak 2010 p 104 School for Soldiers Children Opens on Governors Island The New York Times November 18 1926 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 23 2019 Novak 2010 pp 107 108 Governors Island to be Renovated 1 000 000 WPA Appropriation Also Will Be Used to Repair Other Posts in This Area The New York Times January 11 1936 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 23 2019 NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 37 a b Novak 2010 p 107 Army Landmark Restored by WPA Residence of Commanders on Governors Island Was Built 100 Years Ago The New York Times August 7 1938 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 23 2019 WPA Assists Army in War on Beetles Workers Bring 450 Gallon Spray to Offensive Waged on Governors Island The New York Times May 1 1938 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 23 2019 Novak 2010 p 105 a b c d Novak 2010 p 106 Glen Susan L 2006 Governors Island Charleston SC Arcadia Pub p 60 ISBN 0 7385 3895 7 Retrieved February 13 2019 a b c Livingston Robert E July 5 1925 Fort Jay Golf Offers Weird Hazards Governors Island Links a Fretful Maze of Moats Windows Canteens and Other Distracting Visions The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 23 2019 Muchowski Keith August 14 2014 The world s crookedest golf course The Strawfoot Retrieved February 12 2019 a b c d e Novak 2010 p 108 Induction Center for 300 Selectees Daily Will Open on Governors Island Tomorrow The New York Times June 1 1941 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 23 2019 First Drafted Men Go to New Center Grand Central Palace Taken Over by the Army Recently Handles 3 000 in Day The New York Times October 13 1942 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved December 28 2018 Army opens biggest induction center in U S Life 13 20 51 52 54 56 and 58 November 16 1942 Novak 2010 p 109 LaGuardia Fiorello August 7 1927 A Governors Island Airport Again is Urged Representative LaGuardia Calls This Harbor Site Just Off the Battery the Logical Place for the Commercial Flying Station That New York Seeks PDF The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved December 20 2017 Acts on Governors Island House Defeats LaGuardia Cohen Motion Looking to Airport There PDF The New York Times December 9 1927 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved December 20 2017 Abandoned amp Little Known Airfields New York City Brooklyn Abandoned amp Little Known Airfields February 26 2005 Retrieved May 23 2019 FDR Launches Boro Tunnel in Campaign Swing of City Brooklyn Daily Eagle October 28 1940 pp 1 3 Retrieved March 21 2018 via Newspapers com President Breaks Ground For Tunnel Invited by Mayor to Return to the City in His Official Capacity in 1944 The New York Times October 29 1940 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved March 21 2018 Awards Are Made By Tunnel Board McKim Mead amp White Win First Prize of 2 000 for Design for Ventilating Building The New York Times September 15 1941 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved March 21 2018 news Governor s Island Vent Building An Architectural Gem MTA February 7 2014 Retrieved March 22 2018 a b c d Governors Island EIS 1998 pp 247 248 Bridge At Battery Proposed By Moses Tandem Spans to Brooklyn Can Be Built for Half the Cost of Tunnel He Finds The New York Times January 23 1939 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved March 20 2018 Battery Bridge Rejected By Woodring As War Peril The New York Times July 18 1939 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved March 20 2018 Battle for New Boro Battery Traffic Link Brooklyn Daily Eagle July 18 1939 pp 1 4 Retrieved March 19 2018 via Newspapers com Roosevelt Rejects Battery Bridge Plan But Mayor Says He Will Never Give It Up The New York Times November 1 1939 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved March 20 2018 Jackson Kenneth T ed 2010 The Encyclopedia of New York City 2nd ed New Haven Yale University Press p 869 ISBN 978 0 300 11465 2 Ingraham Joseph C May 26 1950 Brooklyn Tunnel Costing 80 000 000 Opened By Mayor The New York Times Retrieved March 6 2010 Boro Battery Tube Opens Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 23 1949 pp 1 5 Retrieved March 22 2018 via Newspapers com Brooklyn Moves to Save Terminal Drafts New Arguments to Keep Big Army Base The New York Times May 16 1964 Retrieved August 28 2018 Raymond Jack November 20 1964 Brooklyn Navy Yard Will Close Sweeping Cutbacks Also Include Ft Jay and Army Terminal Here 33 States Listed 63 000 Will Lose Jobs at 80 Bases in U S Boston Spared The New York Times p 1 Retrieved August 28 2018 Knap Ted November 19 1964 U S to Close Navy Yard 1 Billion Loss Seen Here PDF New York World Telegram p 1 Retrieved August 20 2018 via Fultonhistory com Scuttle Brooklyn Navy Yard New York Daily News November 20 1964 p 95 Retrieved October 18 2018 via Newspapers com Kihss Peter February 18 1965 Coast Guard Asks For Fort Jay Site Consolidation of Facilities in City Area Is Planned for Governors Island The New York Times Retrieved May 15 2019 Johnston Richard J h January 1 1966 A 15 Gun Salute Signals the Army s Departure From Governors Island The New York Times Retrieved May 15 2019 a b Novak 2010 p 145 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 20 PDF p 25 Joyce Fay S March 29 1985 The Talk of Governors Island the Coast Guard s Hideaway in the Harbor The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 a b Johnston Laurie January 2 1972 Best of Two Worlds On Governors Island The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 Breasted Mary December 7 1977 Coast Guard Boasts of Its Recruits They re Able Seaworthy Fern ale The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 a b 50th Anniversary of Coast Guard Change in Ownership Governors Island June 30 2016 Retrieved May 24 2019 United States Coast Guard 1973 pp 30 31 Bamberger Werner February 27 1966 Marina Planned By Coast Guard Service Maps Projects in Its Shift to Governors Island The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 Transport News Rescue Training Coast Guard Opens School on Governors Island The New York Times October 16 1966 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 Novak 2010 p 146 a b Kennedy Randy October 18 1995 On an Oasis in New York Harbor a Bittersweet Salute The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 Lewis John November 30 1980 Island of tranquility in sea of unrest New York Daily News p 654 Retrieved October 4 2018 via newspapers com nbsp a b c d An island paradise no one wants The Journal News White Plains NY September 20 1997 p 23 Retrieved May 24 2019 via newspapers com nbsp Weinraub Bernard July 5 1986 For Ronald Reagan the Ceremonies Stir Pride and Patriotism The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 Party of the Century Liberty Bash Unfolds in Superlative Fashion Los Angeles Times July 3 1986 ISSN 0458 3035 Retrieved May 24 2019 Reagan Gorbachev and Bush at Governors Island National Security Archive nsarchive gwu edu Retrieved May 24 2019 Cannon Lou Oberdorfer Don December 8 1988 Good Feeling All Around At Gorbachev Reagan Bush Luncheon Washington Post Retrieved May 25 2019 Governors Island tight little island for Reagan Gorbachev meeting UPI December 4 1988 Retrieved May 24 2019 Governors Island Accord July 3 1993 Archived from the original on July 22 2011 Retrieved January 20 2010 Haiti Rivals Sign Pact to Restore Aristide to Power Caribbean Under intense international pressure hesitant president joins army chief in approving U N accord Deal would return the ousted leader by Oct 30 Los Angeles Times July 4 1993 ISSN 0458 3035 Retrieved May 24 2019 Preston Julia July 4 1993 Aristide Officer Sign Haiti Pact Washington Post Retrieved May 25 2019 Hightower Barbara amp Higgins Blanche 1983 Governors Island National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory Governors Island Accompanying 76 photos from 1982 National Park Service 1983 Coast Guard Plans To Cut 1 400 Jobs The Washington Post October 18 1995 ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved May 24 2019 Dunlap David W November 12 1995 Islands Lapped by Tides of Change The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 Lueck Thomas J March 27 1997 Clinton Offer of Island to New York Is Stalled The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 Allen Michael O June 14 1998 Govs Isle no bargain city sez New York Daily News p 34 Retrieved May 24 2019 via newspapers com nbsp Kasich John R August 5 1997 H R 2015 105th Congress 1997 1998 Balanced Budget Act of 1997 www congress gov Retrieved May 24 2019 a b Stewart Barbara August 25 2001 As Deadline Draws Near the Future of Governors Island Remains Uncertain The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 Dao James March 20 1999 Looking for a Quick 500 Million From Governors Island The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 a b Martin Douglas June 13 1999 Governors Island Attracts Various Development Ideas The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 Lueck Thomas J December 5 1997 Governors I Urged as Site For a Casino The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 a b c d e f g h i j Stapinski Helene September 28 2018 Is This the End of Governors Island The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 30 2019 Public Property An Ideas Competition for Governors Island Van Alen Institute Retrieved May 24 2019 a b c Pristin Terry January 31 2003 White House to Hand Over Governors Island to New York The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 Pristin Terry October 31 2002 Governors Island Transfer to New York Is Delayed The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 a b c Barrett Devlin February 1 2003 New York Reclaims Governors Island Elmira NY Star Gazette Associated Press p 27 Retrieved May 24 2019 via newspapers com nbsp a b c d On Governors Island Many Visitors but Few Tenants The Wall Street Journal August 19 2014 Retrieved August 24 2014 Governors Island The New York Times July 4 2004 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 a b Caldwell Mark February 5 2006 Sleeping Beauty The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 29 2019 a b c Novak 2010 p 148 a b Ouroussoff Nicolai June 20 2007 Competing Visions for Governors Island The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved July 20 2007 a b Rubinstein Dana July 25 2013 Google CEO Eric Schmidt underwrites hills on Governors Island Politico PRO Retrieved May 30 2019 a b Taylor Kate May 29 2008 A New Arts Scene on Governors Island The New York Sun Retrieved May 30 2019 a b c d Robin Pogrebin December 20 2007 Park Plan is Chosen for Governors Island The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved August 25 2007 a b ASLA 2012 Professional Awards Governors Island Park and Public Space Master Plan asla org Retrieved June 26 2015 West 8 Wins Governors Island Competition www architecturalrecord com Retrieved May 29 2019 a b c Ouroussoff Nicolai December 20 2007 A Landscape s Isolation Is Turned Into a Virtue The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 20 2009 West 8 creates artificial hills on New York s Governors Island Dezeen July 1 2016 Retrieved June 13 2017 Shapiro Julie May 22 2008 David Byrne hooks up Battery Building to an organ Downtown Express New York Retrieved January 23 2009 Rutenberg Jim February 16 2006 Big Ideas for Governors I Like a Gondola Perhaps The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 29 2019 Satow Julie November 22 2011 Visions of LoLo a Neighborhood Rising from Landfill The New York Times Retrieved November 23 2011 New Globe Theater newglobe org Retrieved June 26 2015 Pogrebin Robin February 26 2005 For Shakespeare a Home That s a Castle The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 24 2019 McGeehan Patrick October 2 2009 Park Service Plans New Ferry Site for Statue Visitors The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved June 8 2019 Jennifer 8 Lee June 22 2009 On Governors I an Organic Farm With a View The New York Times Retrieved September 21 2009 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link Pogrebin Robin March 22 2010 N Y U Plans to Expand Campuses by 40 Percent The New York Times Retrieved April 12 2010 Espinoza Martin October 10 2008 Ushering In Open Space on Governors Island The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 30 2019 a b Governors Island demolition to begin The Real Deal New York June 18 2008 Retrieved May 31 2019 a b c Ouroussoff Nicolai April 12 2010 Governors Island Vision Adds Hills and Hammocks The New York Times Retrieved April 15 2010 a b Governors Island Archived from the original on March 10 2015 Retrieved June 26 2015 Groundbreaking ceremony held today for 260M Governors Island renovation The Real Deal New York May 24 2012 Retrieved May 30 2019 Foderaro Lisa W May 24 2012 First Phase of Governors Island Renovation Begins City Room Retrieved May 30 2019 Jessica Dailey October 28 2013 West 8 Creates A Flood Resistant Park On Governors Island Curbed Retrieved June 4 2015 a b c Yakas Ben Photos Governors Island Now Open For The Season Gothamist Archived from the original on May 29 2019 Retrieved May 29 2019 Wendy Goodman June 4 2015 Inside Governors Island s New Oyster Pavilion New York Magazine Retrieved June 4 2015 See also Oyster Pavilion official website a b c d e New York City Turns an Abandoned Military Base Into a Sprawling Public Park Slate July 22 2016 ISSN 1091 2339 Retrieved July 29 2016 a b c Fermino Jennifer July 19 2016 The Hills an extraordinary 71M park opens on Governors Island New York Daily News Retrieved July 29 2016 Jurgensen John July 24 2010 Governors Island Is Ready to Rock The Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Retrieved May 30 2019 Governors Island could become a year round attraction Time Out New York September 8 2016 Retrieved May 31 2019 Walker Ameena September 6 2016 Governors Island wants New Yorkers to weigh in on its year round plans Curbed NY Retrieved May 31 2019 NYCEDC and The Trust for Governors Island Launch Interactive Community Engagement Campaign GovIsland365 NYCEDC September 2 2016 Retrieved May 31 2019 City launches effort to rezone Governors Island Crain s New York Business August 24 2018 Retrieved May 31 2019 Walker Ameena August 24 2018 Governors Island rezoning process is now underway Curbed NY Retrieved May 31 2019 Culture of Governors Island threatened by rezoning plan activists say Newsday September 27 2018 Retrieved May 31 2019 Forrest Conner January 31 2018 NYC uses moonshot challenge to accelerate 5G wireless in the city TechRepublic Retrieved April 28 2020 Patterson Dan March 9 2019 How New York City will make 5G accessible and affordable CNET Retrieved April 28 2020 Weaver Shaye September 19 2019 Art and culture find a permanent home on Governors Island with exhibits workshops and more amNewYork Retrieved September 11 2020 Current Tenants Governors Island Retrieved September 11 2020 Flavelle Christopher October 6 2019 New York City Wants to Put a Climate Change Laboratory on Governors Island The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved October 8 2019 Spivack Caroline October 7 2019 A climate change laboratory may come to Governors Island Curbed NY Retrieved October 8 2019 Governors Island Trust unveils plan for year round arts neighborhood Crain s New York Business March 11 2020 Retrieved September 11 2020 Hu Winnie Schweber Nate July 15 2020 New York City Has 2 300 Parks But Poor Neighborhoods Lose Out The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved July 15 2020 Governors Island reopens Wednesday with limited capacity amid COVID 19 WPIX July 14 2020 Retrieved July 15 2020 a b c Sterling Anna Lucente September 28 2021 Governors Island will open year round starting Nov 1 Spectrum News NY1 Retrieved September 29 2021 a b c Carlson Jen September 28 2021 Governors Island Is Now Open 365 Days A Year As It Should Be Gothamist Retrieved September 29 2021 a b Carmel Julia June 11 2022 A Night on Governors Island Be Prepared to Spend for It The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved June 16 2022 Weaver Shaye March 3 2022 Everything you need to know about Governors Island s new luxury spa Time Out New York Retrieved June 10 2022 Matthews Lyndsey May 31 2022 Inside the New QC NY Spa on Governors Island AFAR Retrieved June 10 2022 Zhekova Dobrina July 6 2022 There s a New Tulum inspired Beach Club on NYC s Governors Island With Imported Sand and a Gorgeous Dining Tent Yahoo Retrieved July 6 2022 Ginsburg Aaron July 6 2022 This new tropical beach club brings Tulum to NYC s Governors Island 6sqft Retrieved July 6 2022 Fitzsimmons Emma G Rubinstein Dana April 24 2023 Governors Island to Be Site of 700 Million Climate Campus The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved September 18 2023 Kriegstein Brittany April 24 2023 Governors Island chooses Stony Brook University as partner for new climate research center Gothamist Retrieved September 18 2023 Davidson Justin May 11 2023 Developing Governors Island in Order to Save It Curbed Retrieved September 18 2023 Phase Redevelopment of Governors Island OEC www1 nyc gov Retrieved May 23 2019 Phase Redevelopment of Governors Island OEC Welcome to NYC gov August 23 2018 Retrieved June 4 2019 Borough Boundaries NYC Open Data Retrieved May 23 2019 a b c Governors Island Map Governors Island Retrieved May 30 2019 a b Novak 2010 p 159 a b Governors Island EIS 1998 p 6 a b c d e f Governors Island EIS 1998 p cxxix a b Matthews Karen July 18 2016 New Hills on Governors Island Offer Spectacular Views NBC New York Associated Press Retrieved July 29 2016 a b The Hills Governors Island Retrieved September 11 2020 a b Delaney Jillian March 9 2024 These 6 NYC locations are sinking study says silive Retrieved March 10 2024 Misdary Rosemary October 3 2023 but it s not because of large buildings Gothamist Retrieved March 10 2024 a b Castle Williams Governors Island National Monument U S National Park Service July 31 1972 Retrieved May 28 2019 Harbor Defenses The Fortifications on Governor s Island The New York Times September 21 1872 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 28 2019 The fortification of New York Harbor WCNY June 12 2013 Retrieved May 28 2019 a b c d e f g h Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 13 PDF p 18 a b c d e f g NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 13 a b Fort Jay Governors Island National Monument U S National Park Service September 26 2018 Retrieved May 28 2019 a b c d e NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 15 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 143 144 PDF pp 148 149 a b c d Governors Island EIS 1998 p 251 a b c d Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 5 PDF p 10 a b c d Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 6 PDF p 11 a b c d e f g NRHI Nomination Form 1985 pp 6 7 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 91 PDF p 96 Governors Island EIS 1998 p xciv a b c Novak 2010 p 164 Jessica Dailey May 5 2015 The Hills Are Coming to Life on Governors Island Curbed Retrieved June 4 2015 Dailey Jessica October 28 2013 West 8 Creates A Flood Resistant Park On Governors Island Curbed NY Retrieved May 29 2019 a b Slide Hill Governors Island Archived from the original on May 29 2019 Retrieved May 29 2019 a b Jacobs Karrie July 19 2016 On Governors Island the world s smartest hill Curbed NY Retrieved May 29 2019 a b Things to Do on Governors Island NY traveltips usatoday com Retrieved May 30 2019 a b Governors Island EIS 1998 p clxxix a b Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 166 181 PDF pp 171 186 a b c d e f NRHI Nomination Form 1985 pp 17 18 a b c Governors Island EIS 1998 p 244 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 45 47 PDF pp 50 52 Admiral s House Designation Report PDF New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission September 19 1967 Archived from the original PDF on December 20 2016 Retrieved May 30 2019 Admiral s House National Register Digital Asset Management System Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 48 49 PDF pp 53 54 Governors Island EIS 1998 p 243 a b c NRHI Nomination Form 1985 pp 8 9 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 63 64 PDF pp 68 69 Governors Island EIS 1998 pp 243 245 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 70 71 PDF pp 75 76 a b Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 170 177 PDF pp 175 182 a b Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 166 169 PDF pp 171 174 a b c d e Governors Island EIS 1998 p 252 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 178 179 PDF pp 183 184 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 180 181 PDF pp 185 186 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 157 158 PDF pp 162 163 a b c NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 16 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 154 155 191 192 PDF pp 159 160 196 197 a b Governors Island EIS 1998 pp 251 253 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 149 150 193 194 PDF pp 154 155 198 199 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 108 111 PDF pp 113 116 a b c NRHI Nomination Form 1985 pp 11 12 a b c Governors Island EIS 1998 p 249 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 132 139 PDF pp 137 144 a b NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 14 a b Novak 2010 p 206 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 112 113 PDF pp 117 118 a b Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 118 121 PDF pp 123 126 30 Arts and Education Organizations to Present Free Programming on Governors Island for 2020 Public Season Governors Island Retrieved September 11 2020 Announcing the Governors Island Residency Initiative Governors Island Retrieved September 11 2020 Gregory Kia Leonard Randy June 9 2013 With Thunderous Blasts a Governors Island Holdout Falls to Earth The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 30 2019 Glassman Carl Reynolds Aline June 10 2013 Former Governors Island Apartment Building Reduced to Dust and Rubble Tribeca Trib Online Retrieved May 30 2019 11 Story Building On Governors Island Successfully Imploded CBS New York June 9 2013 Retrieved May 30 2019 a b Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 68 69 PDF pp 73 74 Church to Turn Over a Chapel on Governors I to Coast Guard The New York Times March 9 1986 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved May 23 2019 a b Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 148 PDF p 153 NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 22 Nathan Kazis Josh May 19 2010 A Lonely Synagogue on an Empty Island The Forward Retrieved May 30 2019 NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 10 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 92 PDF p 97 LMCC s Arts Center at Governors Island Opens to the Public Governors Island Retrieved September 11 2020 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 95 98 100 101 106 107 PDF pp 100 103 105 106 111 112 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 99 102 103 PDF pp 104 107 108 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 115 116 PDF pp 120 121 NRHI Nomination Form 1985 pp 21 22 Governors Island EIS 1998 pp 246 247 249 252 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 188 189 PDF pp 193 194 NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 19 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 140 PDF p 145 a b Governors Island EIS 1998 p 250 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 146 147 PDF pp 151 152 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 pp 151 152 PDF pp 156 157 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 153 PDF p 158 Arak Joey April 21 2008 Governors Island Motel Headed for the Wrecking Ball Curbed NY Retrieved May 30 2019 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 142 PDF p 147 Carlson Jen Photos What Governors Island Looked Like Before You Could Go There Gothamist Archived from the original on May 31 2019 Retrieved May 31 2019 a b NRHI Nomination Form 1985 p 18 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 163 PDF p 168 Hansen amp Pearson 1996 p 164 PDF p 169 a b c d e Partners Governors Island National Monument U S National Park Service May 16 2016 Retrieved May 31 2019 National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy New York Harbor Parks October 21 2017 Retrieved May 31 2019 McGeehan Patrick August 15 2005 Beyond Lady Liberty The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved September 11 2020 Basic Information Governors Island National Monument U S National Park Service www nps gov Retrieved September 11 2020 The Trust for Governors Island Governors Island February 26 2016 Retrieved May 31 2019 The Trust for Governors Island Governors Island Retrieved September 11 2020 a b Sheets Hilarie M March 26 2024 Lauren Haynes to Be New Head Curator on Governors Island The New York Times Retrieved March 28 2024 Valentine Victoria L March 27 2024 Lauren Haynes Named Head Curator of Governors Island in New York She is Expected to Grow the Public Art Program Culture Type Retrieved March 28 2024 The Trust for Governors Island Names Lauren Haynes Head Curator and Vice President for Arts and Culture Governors Island Press release Retrieved March 28 2024 a b The Friends of Governors Island Governors Island January 7 2019 Retrieved May 31 2019 a b c d Marcoux Heather September 5 2016 Max Turns His Failure As a Farm Dog Into a Career on Governors Island Dogster Retrieved February 27 2019 Governors Island s pack of working dogs grows to four Governors Island Retrieved February 27 2019 a b c Carlson Jen We Spent A Night With Governors Island s Working Dogs Gothamist Archived from the original on December 14 2018 Retrieved February 27 2019 Newman Andy June 1 2017 Two Dogs on a Wild Goose Chase on Governors Island The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved February 27 2019 Peaceful Use of Cannon Balls Old Projectiles from Governors Island to be Turned Into Machinery The New York Times December 17 1900 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved June 17 2023 a b Cannonball Governors Island en US Retrieved June 17 2023 350 Pound Civil War Cannonball Found on Governors Island NBC New York February 3 2012 Retrieved June 18 2023 Nyback Glenn February 3 2012 Civil War cannonball found on NYC s Governors Island silive Retrieved June 18 2023 a b c d e a, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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