Governors Island National Monument
Encyclopedia
Governors Island National Monument is located in New York, New York on 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) of Governors Island
, a 172 acre (0.69605992 km²) island located few hundred meters off the southern tip of Manhattan
at the confluence of the Hudson
and East River
s in New York Harbor.
announced it would close its base at Governors Island
, its largest base in as a cost savings measure. The Coast Guard had established the base on the island in 1966 after the U.S. Army, closed Fort Jay
an Army post the island since 1794. In 1996 the Coast Guard closed the base and conveyed it as surplus property to the federal government's General Services Administration
for disposal through transfer or sale.
The closure was at the initiative of the Coast Guard, then a bureau of the U.S. Department of Transportation, which was seeking to close a $400 million budget gap. The closure of the base represented an estimated 30 million dollar savings. Since the closure was an initiated action by the Coast Guard, it was not subject to the Base Realignment and Closure
process.
At the time of the closure announcement in October 1995, President Bill Clinton
and New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
reached an informal agreement to convey the island to the city and state of New York for 1 dollar if a plan for public benefit could be developed.
In August 1997, as part of legislation to balance the budget, Congress directed that the entire island be sold with a right of first offer to the State and City of New York.
The Justice Department under President George W. Bush concluded the proclamation possessed technical errors, but did not revoke or invalidate the proclamation.
In an April 2002 White House meeting with city and state officials, President Bush announced his intention to sell the island to the city and state of New York. While the White House intended the transaction to be concluded by September 2002, it took several month of negotiations with city, state and federal officials to resolve outstanding issues.
On 31 January 2003, the island was conveyed to an intermediary, the National Trust for Historic Preservation which attached land use covenents then conveyed the island to two parties: 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) was conveyed to the U.S. Department of the Interior for use as a national monument; and 150 acre (0.607029 km²) to the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation, formed jointly by the State and City of New York for the purpose of adminstering and redeveloping the island (now The Trust for Governors Island, an insturmentality of the City of New York). Presidential Proclamation 7647 of February 7, 2003 formally re-affirmed the establishment of the national monument.
City and federal agencies are presently in the planning stages of converting this former military installation into new public parkland and a spectacular destination in New York Harbor.
and Fort Jay
were constructed as part of the First and Second American Systems of Coastal Fortification. The fortifications represent two examples of defensive structures in use from the Revolution
to the American Civil War
and played important roles in the War of 1812
, the American Civil War, and World Wars I
and II
.
The fortifications were built on the most strategic defensive positions on the island. Fort Jay, constructed between 1806 and 1809, is on the highest point of the island from which its glacis
, originally an open landscape, slopes down to the waterfront on all sides. Castle Williams, started in 1807 and completed in November 1811, occupies a rocky promontory in the harbor channels and served as the most important strategic defensive point in the upper bay of New York Harbor.
By the 1830s, the protective functions of both fortifications had diminished, but an urban Army post evolved around the fortifications. By the 1870s, the post became a major headquarters for the U.S. Army, a role it played until the Army's departure in 1965. The residential and instituional structures surrounding the two fortifications are now part of the Governors Island National Historic Landmark District, containing over 60 structures related to two centuries of the military history of the nation.
Since the island was managed by the United States Army
and the United States Coast Guard
for nearly 200 years, and was no longer required for defense or Coast Guard purposes, the establishment of the monument provided an excellent opportunity for the public to observe and understand the harbor history, its defense and its ecology.
The island and monument, currently under development, has been open on a seasonal basis during the summer months since 2003. In 2010, over 400,000 visitors visited the island and monument during a 60 day season.
Governors Island
Governors Island is a island in Upper New York Bay, approximately one-half mile from the southern tip of Manhattan Island and separated from Brooklyn by Buttermilk Channel. It is legally part of the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
, a 172 acre (0.69605992 km²) island located few hundred meters off the southern tip of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
at the confluence of the Hudson
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
s in New York Harbor.
Transformation from post and base to public benefit
In October 1995 the United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
announced it would close its base at Governors Island
Governors Island
Governors Island is a island in Upper New York Bay, approximately one-half mile from the southern tip of Manhattan Island and separated from Brooklyn by Buttermilk Channel. It is legally part of the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
, its largest base in as a cost savings measure. The Coast Guard had established the base on the island in 1966 after the U.S. Army, closed Fort Jay
Fort Jay
Fort Jay is a harbor fortification and the name of the former Army post located on Governors Island in New York Harbor. Fort Jay is the oldest defensive structure on the island, built to defend Upper New York Bay, but has served other purposes...
an Army post the island since 1794. In 1996 the Coast Guard closed the base and conveyed it as surplus property to the federal government's General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
for disposal through transfer or sale.
The closure was at the initiative of the Coast Guard, then a bureau of the U.S. Department of Transportation, which was seeking to close a $400 million budget gap. The closure of the base represented an estimated 30 million dollar savings. Since the closure was an initiated action by the Coast Guard, it was not subject to the Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
process.
At the time of the closure announcement in October 1995, President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick "Pat" Moynihan was an American politician and sociologist. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to the United States Senate for New York in 1976, and was re-elected three times . He declined to run for re-election in 2000...
reached an informal agreement to convey the island to the city and state of New York for 1 dollar if a plan for public benefit could be developed.
In August 1997, as part of legislation to balance the budget, Congress directed that the entire island be sold with a right of first offer to the State and City of New York.
Establishment of the monument
As President Clinton left office in January 2001, with no resolution of the island's future in hand and at the urging of members of the New York congressional delegation, he established a Governors Island National Monument by Presidential Proclamation 7402 of January 19, 2001. The proclaimation did not fully establish the boundaries of the monument, but did set forth a federal intention of preserving the fortifications, Fort Jay and Castle Williams, the oldest and most historic features on the island.The Justice Department under President George W. Bush concluded the proclamation possessed technical errors, but did not revoke or invalidate the proclamation.
In an April 2002 White House meeting with city and state officials, President Bush announced his intention to sell the island to the city and state of New York. While the White House intended the transaction to be concluded by September 2002, it took several month of negotiations with city, state and federal officials to resolve outstanding issues.
On 31 January 2003, the island was conveyed to an intermediary, the National Trust for Historic Preservation which attached land use covenents then conveyed the island to two parties: 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) was conveyed to the U.S. Department of the Interior for use as a national monument; and 150 acre (0.607029 km²) to the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation, formed jointly by the State and City of New York for the purpose of adminstering and redeveloping the island (now The Trust for Governors Island, an insturmentality of the City of New York). Presidential Proclamation 7647 of February 7, 2003 formally re-affirmed the establishment of the national monument.
City and federal agencies are presently in the planning stages of converting this former military installation into new public parkland and a spectacular destination in New York Harbor.
Significance
Both presidential proclamations noted that the island served as an outpost to protect New York City from sea attack. Between 1806 and 1811, Castle WilliamsCastle Williams
Notes...
and Fort Jay
Fort Jay
Fort Jay is a harbor fortification and the name of the former Army post located on Governors Island in New York Harbor. Fort Jay is the oldest defensive structure on the island, built to defend Upper New York Bay, but has served other purposes...
were constructed as part of the First and Second American Systems of Coastal Fortification. The fortifications represent two examples of defensive structures in use from the Revolution
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
to the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and played important roles in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, the American Civil War, and World Wars I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The fortifications were built on the most strategic defensive positions on the island. Fort Jay, constructed between 1806 and 1809, is on the highest point of the island from which its glacis
Glacis
A glacis in military engineering is an artificial slope of earth used in late European fortresses so constructed as to keep any potential assailant under the fire of the defenders until the last possible moment...
, originally an open landscape, slopes down to the waterfront on all sides. Castle Williams, started in 1807 and completed in November 1811, occupies a rocky promontory in the harbor channels and served as the most important strategic defensive point in the upper bay of New York Harbor.
By the 1830s, the protective functions of both fortifications had diminished, but an urban Army post evolved around the fortifications. By the 1870s, the post became a major headquarters for the U.S. Army, a role it played until the Army's departure in 1965. The residential and instituional structures surrounding the two fortifications are now part of the Governors Island National Historic Landmark District, containing over 60 structures related to two centuries of the military history of the nation.
Since the island was managed by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
for nearly 200 years, and was no longer required for defense or Coast Guard purposes, the establishment of the monument provided an excellent opportunity for the public to observe and understand the harbor history, its defense and its ecology.
The island and monument, currently under development, has been open on a seasonal basis during the summer months since 2003. In 2010, over 400,000 visitors visited the island and monument during a 60 day season.