Complete information about visiting Governors Island National Monument is now on National Park Planner!
Governors Island served as a U. S. Army coastal defense base from just after the American Revolution all the way up until 1966 when the island was transferred to the U. S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard operated the Atlantic Area Command Center from the island until 1996, at which time the organization moved to a new location and the base was closed, thus ending over 200 years of military occupation.
In 2001, President Bill Clinton created Governors Island National Monument to protect 22 acres occupied by historic Fort Jay and Castle Williams. The remaining 150 acres of the island were sold to New York State and New York City for a dollar. In 2010, the state gave up its stake in the island and transferred everything to New York City, which formed the Trust for Governors Island to handle operations, planning, and development. The historic buildings from the 1800s on the northeast end of the island were left intact, while the 1900s buildings located southwest of Colonel’s Row were torn down to make way for recreational development.
During the summer season, thousands of daily visitors take the ferry from Manhattan or Brooklyn to Governors Island. They make no distinction between the National Monument and the section run by the Trust for Governors Island—most don’t even know that two organizations are involved. Yes, they may stop in and take a look around the forts, but only a few hundred visitors
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Last updated on January 10, 2022