20th Century
Fort Jay and Governors Island drew the attention of a former New York City lawyer and President Theodore Roosevelt's Secretary of War, Elihu Root. Root sought to enhance the island army post to better serve the army's needs and fend off efforts by the City of New York to close the post and reclaim the island as a city park. Root instigated the expansion of the island from its original 60 acres to 170 acres with landfill from the newly constructed New York City subways. He also commissioned the New York architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White to develop a master plan for the island which would demolish all the existing buildings on the island except for the three original fortifications on the island and a newly constructed chapel. The retention of the fortifications indicated Root's interest in retaining the historical structures as army decision makers he supervised were trying to accomplish their demolition. In one of his departing acts as Secretary of War in February 1904, he restored the original name of Fort Jay to the fortification and renamed the army post that evolved around it also as Fort Jay.
The glacis south of the fort continued to be used as a parade ground and in the 1920s also served as a polo field. By the 1930s, the Army used the Works Progress Administration to "shoe horn" a nine-hole golf course (now demolished) into the glacis surrounding the fort; it remained in service until 1996 as the only golf course in Manhattan.
Another 1930s WPA project was the complete renovation of the barracks in Fort Jay to family housing. Each company barracks was transformed into four townhouse style apartments that served the needs of junior officer family housing. As a further concession to the automobile, eight two car garages were constructed inside the fort behind the barracks to serve the fort's residents.
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