Colonial period 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. There is insufficient evidence as to whether Governors Island contained any permanent Lenape settlements, or was used mainly for hunting and gathering. 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. 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. 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. Following this, Noten Eylandt is said to have been used as a recreation ground by the Dutch between 1652 and 1664. 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. Other governors leased out the island for profit,
American Revolution 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. 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. Other regiments soon followed, These plans were never realized, even though the British had asked for funding for these fortifications in 1774. 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. The island's defenses continued to be improved over the following months, 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. 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. In what appeared to be a strategic miscalculation, the rebels' munitions caused little to no damage to the British ships that were waiting some downstream. 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. 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.
Late 18th through 19th centuries Late 18th century to War of 1812 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. The name of Nutten Island was changed to "Governors Island" by act of the United States legislature on March 29, 1784. 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. Governors Island was one of the first locations where defenses were built. As such, the agreement with the Board of Regents was voided in 1794, 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. 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. Fort Jay was rebuilt from 1806 to 1809 in its current five-pointed star shape, and was renamed Fort Columbus shortly afterward. 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. The
War of 1812 commenced shortly after the completion of these defenses, though the fortifications never saw combat.
Mid-19th century and Civil War After the War of 1812, the island did not see much development. Rather, it was used for garrisoning troops starting 1821. The troops garrisoned on the island were deployed to wars four times in the rest of the 19th century. 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. such as the
Admiral's House built in 1843. The erection of the recruiting center and barracks resulted in the creation of Nolan Park, to the east for Fort Columbus. Other Army structures included a
muster station that operated throughout the
Mexican–American War and
American Civil War, as well as a music school. The hospital treated victims of
cholera and
yellow fever in epidemics during the 1850s and 1860s. 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. The seawalls on the north and west sides of the island were rehabilitated or extended to create additional buildable land. During this period of expansion, in 1870, a particularly severe yellow fever epidemic occurred on the island, sickening hundreds and requiring a
quarantine. The structures that hosted yellow fever patients were later demolished. In 1878, Fort Columbus became a major Army administrative center, and Army officers' families started to move in. 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. 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. Subsequent construction in the 1890s and 1900s added several officers' residences to the island. 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. Using material excavated from the
first line of the
New York City Subway, the
Army Corps of Engineers added of fill, extending Governors Island to the south. and was declared complete by January 1913. Secretary Root also retained the services of
Beaux-Arts architect
Charles Follen McKim to redesign nearly every structure on Governors Island, The following year,
Glenn Curtiss completed a flight from
Albany to New York City by landing on the island. An aviation training center even operated from 1916 to 1917. In honor of these aviators, the
Early Birds Monument at
Liggett Hall was dedicated in 1954. Despite the island's expansion, little development happened immediately, 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. 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. The railroad had been reduced to and was dubbed the "World's Shortest Railroad" by the time it was torn up in 1931. A buried railroad
truck was dug up on the island in 2014, possibly the remains of a
handcar.
Mid-20th century 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. 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. Some of the wooden barracks structures deteriorated rapidly, prompting objections from congressional delegations. A school for Army soldiers' children was opened on Governors Island in 1926. In 1927, General
Hanson Edward Ely commenced a major program to build several mostly
Georgian revival structures on Governors Island. 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. Some of the WPA's projects included the restoration of the General's House, as well as the eradication of invasive
Japanese beetles. The Army also incrementally repaved Governors Island's roads so they could accommodate modern vehicles, and constructed garages. An Army community developed on Governors Island during the mid-20th century. The island had three
chapels in addition to the movie theater, YMCA, and "officer's club". a new polo-and-golf course called the
Governors Island Golf Course was built circa 1925–1926. and was sometimes called the "world's crookedest" golf course due to its enclosed nature in a confined space.
Tennis courts and
swimming pools were also present on Governors Island. Different groupings of recreational areas were generally located according to military hierarchy. The number of houses of worship increased as a
Roman Catholic church was built in 1942, followed by a
synagogue in 1959. and was processing 1,500 recruits daily by 1942. This volume proved to be overwhelming due to the island's isolation. 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.
Infrastructure 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. A bill in the U.S. House to create a Governors Island airport was voted down. The island also hosted the Governors Island Army Airfield for some time after World War II until the 1960s. In 1940, work started on the
Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel, which passes underwater offshore of the island's northeast corner. A ventilation building designed by McKim, Mead & White is connected to the island by a
causeway. but the
War Department quashed the plan, calling it a possible navigational threat to the
Brooklyn Navy Yard located upriver. A subsequent plan to build a ramp from Governors Island to the bridge was rejected as well. The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel opened to traffic in 1950 without any other physical connection to the island.
Decommissioning 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. 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.
Coast Guard operation On December 31, 1965, the Army base was formally decommissioned and the installation became a Coast Guard base. The Coast Guard consolidated its operations at Governors Island, making the island the Coast Guard's largest installation. By 1985, the island had a population of 4,000 personnel and 1,000 family members. It was also homeport for
U.S. Coast Guard cutters, including
USCGC Gallatin (WHEC-721),
USCGC Morgenthau (WHEC-722), and
USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716). The Coast Guard split the island's operations among seven divisions, and began making various improvements such as adding a boat marina and the world's first search-and-rescue training school. By 1972, the Coast Guard had opened some apartment blocks on the southern portion of Governors Island, Liggett Hall was converted to classrooms, and other historic structures were preserved and restored. 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. 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. 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. The Coast Guard era also coincided with two landmark designations. On February 4, 1985, a portion of Governors Island was designated a
National Historic Landmark. The
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission created the Governors Island Historic District on June 18, 1996. 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. Other federal agencies were loath to take control of the island. The city was initially reluctant to take up Clinton's offer because it would not have been financially beneficial to the city. 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. The island's sale was expected to net the federal government $500 million.
Redevelopment Early proposals With the announcement of the Coast Guard base's closure, officials and developers began offering plans for development. Mayor Giuliani considered building a casino and hotel on Governors Island. 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. In 1996, the
Van Alen Institute hosted an ideas competition called "Public Property", attracting over 200 submissions. An agreement between the city and state to maintain the island for public use was reached in 2000. In a last-minute act while in office, President Clinton designated a 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. 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. On January 31, 2003, the rest of the island's 150 acres, as well as 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). The transfer included deed restrictions which prohibit permanent housing or casinos on the island. The agreements also stipulated that of land had to be used as parkland, and another had to be used for "educational, civic or cultural" purposes. During this period, the National Park Service and GIPEC began conducting restorations on parts of Governors Island. Major construction was necessary to convert the island for public use, such as repairs to the seawall and removal of
asbestos. The public was first allowed to visit the island in 2005, and eight thousand visitors came that year. 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. West 8 ultimately won the contest. Artificial hills were part of West 8's plan for the island, as were free bicycle rentals. Since the island was windy, West 8 designed their proposed topography to provide moments of shelter. 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. 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. The number of tenants on Governors Island started to increase, though they numbered fewer than 1,000 as of 2014. 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. Demolition of old structures on Governors Island began in 2008 with the destruction of a derelict motel. In April 2010, the city took control of the island's development, and GIPEC was succeeded by the Trust for Governors Island. The administration of Mayor
Michael Bloomberg had provided funding for the first phase of construction. Construction on the $260 million park started May 24, 2012, and the Coast Guard-era military housing complexes were demolished. 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. The Oyster Pavilion opened in June 2015, followed by the Hills section of the park in July 2016. The island became more popular over the years. While it attracted 275,000 visitors in 2009, over 800,000 people came to the island in 2018. 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. The proposed rezoning drew opposition from activists who wanted Governors Island to be kept largely as-is. 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. 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. 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. In October 2019, city officials proposed constructing a climate change research center on the island. 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. 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. In September 2021, mayor
Bill de Blasio announced that the island would operate year-round rather than from May through October. 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. The QC NY spa opened inside a former barracks on the north side of the island in March 2022, and the Gitano Island beach club opened that July. In April 2023, the Trust for Governors Island selected
Stony Brook University to construct a climate research lab on the island, which was planned to cost $700 million and be complete in 2028. The Trust announced plans in 2024 to convert Building 140 into a restaurant and event space, and the New York Harbor School began an expansion that year. ==Geography ==