Governors Island is a 172 acres (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. Governors Island is recognized as the birthplace, in 1624, of the state of New York by the New York State Senate and Assembly. 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 Dutch explorer Adriaen Block named the uninhabited island "Noten Eylant", meaning 'nut island', in 1611, doubtless after the island's plentiful hickory, oak, and chestnut trees; This became "Nutten Island" in pidgin English. Upon arrival of the first Dutch colonists to New Netherland, a fortification was erected on the island in 1624. After construction of Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in 1625, Native Americans of the New York Tri-State region started to use the island as their springboard for trade with the Manhattan settlers and referred to the island as "Paggank", a translation. The island's current name, officially adopted 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.
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 about Governors Island: 19th Century, 20th Century, Coast Guard Era, Waiting For A Future, Redevelopment and Future Uses, Public Access, Access From Brooklyn, Access From Manhattan, Activities and Publicly Accessible Areas, Notable Residents, In Popular Culture
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