A Silent Sentinel in New York Harbor
From 1794 to 1966, the U.S. Army on Governors Island was part of the social, political, and economic tapestry of New York City. Today the island is vibrant summer seasonal venue of art, culture and performance against the backdrop of two centuries of military heritage and the skyline of one of the great cities of the world.
The only way to travel to the island on a weekday is a Ferry which departs from the Battery Maritime Building.
The island is only about a half mile from Battery Park . The orange ship in the background is the Staten Island Ferry.
This is the view back at Battery Park from the landing at Governors Island.
Castle Williams is a Fort on the Island. The Statue of Libery is directly across the channel from this fort.
The south portion of the island is currently being developed. There are baseball fields, flower gardens, and an urban farm.
This is a moat around Fort Jay. Fort Jay, is a coastal star fort and the name of the former Army post, is also located on Governors Island in New York Harbor. Fort Jay is the oldest defensive structure on the island.
This is the Fort Jay Officers Quarters.
Governors Island, a 172 acre island in the heart of New York Harbor, is only 800 yards from Lower Manhattan, and even closer to Brooklyn. It is a world unto itself, unique and full of promise.
For almost two centuries, Governors Island was a military base - home to the US Army and later the Coast Guard, and closed to the public. In 2003 the federal government sold 150 acres of Island to the people of New York, with the Island’s governance and funding jointly shared by the City of New York and State of New York. The remaining 22 acres of the Island was declared the Governors Island National Monument that is overseen by the National Park Service.
The City of New York is now responsible for Governors Island and created the Trust for Governors Island, the organization charged with the operations, planning and redevelopment of 150 acres of the Island.
The Trust is transforming Governors Island into a destination with great public open space, as well as educational, not-for-profit, and commercial facilities. 30 new acres of park and public spaces opened to the public for the first time in 2014. The Trust broke ground on the Hills, the crowning feature of the new park. Made of recycled construction and fill materials, The Hills will rise 25 to 80 feet above the Island, and the summit of the tallest Hill will provide visitors with a 360-degree panorama of the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor and the Lower Manhattan skyline.
In addition to the completion of the new park spaces and construction of the Hills, The Trust is proceeding with an ambitious infrastructure program to ready the Island for expanded tenancy and activity. The Trust has also identifiedRFP finalists for tenancy in the Island’s historic buildings, which will help achieve the goal of making Governors Island an extraordinary public resource with a vibrant mix of uses and activities.
