Governors Island

Wednesday, 29 January 2014 - 01:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General, New York City, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks
Reading Time:  4 minutes

Governors Island plan © United States Government

Governors Island plan © United States Government

Governors Island is a 172-acre (70 ha) island in Upper New York Bay, approximately one-half mile (1 km) 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. Physically, the island changed greatly during the early 20th century. Using material excavated from the Lexington Avenue subway, the Army Corps of Engineers supervised the deposit of 4,787,000 cubic yards of fill on the south side of Governors Island, adding 103 acres (42 ha) of flat, treeless land by 1912 and bringing the total acreage of the island to 172.

The Native Americans of the Manhattan region referred to the island as “Paggank”, meaning ‘nut island’, doubtless after the island’s plentiful hickory, oak, and chestnut trees; the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block called it “Noten Eylant”, a translation, and this was borrowed into English as “Nutten Island”. The island’s current name, made official in 1784, stems from British colonial times when the colonial assembly reserved the island for the exclusive use of New York’s royal governors. Defensive works were raised on the island in 1776 by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, and fired upon British ships before they were taken. From 1783 to 1966, the island was a United States Army post. From 1966 to 1996 the island served as a major United States Coast Guard installation.

Aerial view © Gryffindor/cc-by-sa-3.0 Fort Jay and Manhattan Skyscrapers © ChrisRuvolo/cc-by-sa-3.0 Liggett Hall © Jim.henderson Governors Island Marker © Gigi alt/cc-by-sa-3.0 Governors Island 2007 © United States Geological Survey The artificial oyster reef creation off Government Islands, one of six planned for throughout the New York and New Jersey Harbor Estuary, is part of an experiment looking at the possibility of once again having a thriving, healthy oyster population in the estuary © flickr.com - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Dan Desmet/cc-by-2.0 Governors Island plan © United States Government
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The artificial oyster reef creation off Government Islands, one of six planned for throughout the New York and New Jersey Harbor Estuary, is part of an experiment looking at the possibility of once again having a thriving, healthy oyster population in the estuary © flickr.com - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Dan Desmet/cc-by-2.0
On January 19, 2001, Fort Jay and Castle Williams, two of the island’s three historical fortifications, were proclaimed a National Monument. On January 31, 2003, 150 acres of the island was transferred to the State of New York for $1. The remaining (22 acres or 9 ha) was transferred to the United States Department of the Interior as the Governors Island National Monument, administered by the National Park Service. The 150 acre portion of the island not included in the National Monument is administered by The Trust for Governors Island, an entity of the City of New York and the successor of the joint city/state established redevelopment entity, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation. The transfer included deed restrictions which prohibit permanent housing or casinos on the island.

On May 24, 2012, Mayor Michael Bloomberg broke ground on the new park and public spaces designed by the landscape design firm West 8, along with announcing the opening of the rehabilitated Castle Williams. The national historic landmark district, approximately 92 acres (37 ha) of the northern half of the island, is open to the public for several months in the summer and early fall. The circumferential road around the island is also open to the public. The island is accessed by free ferries from Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Read more on The Trust for Governors Island, National Park Service – Governors Island, New York Harbor Parks – Governors Island, Governors Island Ferry and Wikipedia Governors Island (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.




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