Castle Clinton in 1812

With trouble brewing once again with Great Britain, the United States began beefing up its coastal defenses in the early 1800s. In New York Harbor, four forts were built beginning in 1806: Castle Williams and Fort Columbus on Governor’s Island, Fort Wood on what is today the island with the Statue of Liberty, and Southwest Battery on a small, rock island just 200 feet off the southwestern tip of Manhattan. These are what are known as Second System of Coastal Defense forts, with a defining characteristic being that of a casemate: a reinforced enclosure that protected artillery and crew from overhead bursts of shrapnel, versus guns stationed along the top of a fort wall and exposed to the elements. Most Second System forts were single-level, but a few multi-level forts were constructed at this time, one being Castle Williams. In addition to these four forts, Fort Gibson on Ellis Island, originally finished in 1795, was upgraded to meet Second System requirements. (Fort Columbus took the place of the demolished Fort Jay, another fort from the 1790s. Its original name was reinstated in 1904.)

Construction on the Southwest Battery, which was renamed Castle Clinton in 1817 to honor Dewitt Clinton, a popular New York political figure during the early 1800s, began in 1808 and was completed in 1811. It was outfitted with twenty-eight 32-pounder cannon (pounder refers to the weight of the cannonball that could be shot). Though the fort was operational in time for the start of the War of 1812, the guns were never fired in battle.

Cannon exhibit at Castle Clinton National Monument

Embrasures in the walls of Castle Clinton

At the conclusion of the War of 1812 in February 1815, it was evident that forts like Castle Clinton were no longer adequate for modern military tactics and weapons, and plans for a Third System of Coastal Defenses were underway by the early 1820s. Castle Clinton was decommissioned in 1821. Fort Gibson remained in operation until 1861, Fort Wood until 1937, and Castle Williams and Fort Jay until 1966.

In 1824, the Federal government gave the land and fort to New York City, which renamed it Castle Gardens and turned the property into a popular entertainment venue for concerts, picnics, dining, and fireworks shows. In 1844 a roof was added, and the building became the largest concert hall in New York, hosting the opera and serious theater. The hall could seat 6,000 patrons.

Castle Garden postcard

By the mid-1850s, immigration into the United States was at an all-time high. In 1854, it was decided to close Castle Garden and convert the building into New York’s immigrant processing center (at this time, immigration was handled by each state). It remained open until April 1890, at which time the Federal government took over immigration. The Barge Office was used as a temporary station until a much larger facility at Ellis Island opened on January 1, 1892. While in business, two-thirds of all immigrants entering the United States passed through Castle Garden.

Castle Garden immigration station

Also during the 1850s, landfill was used to connect Castle Garden to Manhattan Island. This area became known as Battery Park.

Castle Garden in 1886

Once closed as an immigration station, plans were made to remodel the building into the New York City Aquarium. To accommodate large pools that could hold a Beluga whale, the center of the building was dug out an additional 25 feet. The aquarium opened in December 1896 to great fanfare. Later in the 1920s, two stories were added to the back side of the building to make room for more exhibits.

New York Aquarium in 1941

New York Aquarium postcard

Interior of the New York Aquarium in the early 1900s

By the late 1930s, plans were underway for a tunnel between Brooklyn and the Battery. The tunnel route passed underneath the aquarium, and it was determined that the weight of the building could not be supported, so it was closed in October 1941. The animals were transferred to other aquariums and to the Bronx Zoo until a new aquarium on Coney Island opened in 1957.

The aquarium was torn down in 1946. However, during the demolition it was discovered that the original fort walls had been encased in the new walls, and when the rubble of the aquarium was cleared, much of the original walls remained. Preservationist fought to save the fort from destruction, and this resulted in the legislation to create the Castle Clinton National Monument that same year, though it wouldn’t be until 1950 that the property was transferred back to the Federal government from New York City. The fort sat in ruins until 1970, when the National Park Service restored it to its 1811 appearance as much as possible. The finished fort was opened to the public in 1975. Only the walls are original; all else is a reconstruction.

Fort walls appear from the aquarium ruins

Today Castle Clinton is in the Top 20 most visited National Parks in the country, but it is doubtful that one person in a hundred specifically comes to see it. Its popularity is partially due to the fact that it is simply in a high traffic area—Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan. People passing by may stop in after being struck by its peculiar shape or because they are curious about an old fort in downtown New York. However, the main reason for its popularity is because it is the ticket office for the Statue of Liberty National Monument. At any time of the day, there’s hardly anyone inside who didn’t initially come to buy tickets, though many of these people check out the fort while waiting for their ferry to depart (the ferry dock is right next to the fort). 

Statue of Liberty ticket office at Castle Clinton National Monument

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