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World War I Memorial Project Launches
Last summer I started work on a project that is small in scope but means a lot to me. Today I submitted the final grant application information to the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission for what I am calling the Governors Island World War I Memorial Project. Last year when my book The Governors Island Explorer’s Guide was published I was not done with the island, which is by far my favorite park in the city. I started work on my next book, World War I New York: A Guide to the City’s Enduring Ties to the Great War, which comes out in about a month. I wrote a…
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Geocaching Comes to Governors Island
Ready to explore 200 years of Island history? Join geocache fans and search for hidden caches stashed across Governors Island! On Sunday, May 29, pickup the free geocache clue sheet at the ferry landing welcome sign Friends of Governors Island tent (or log on to geocaching.com) and start your adventure. From one end of the Island to the other are caches that explore the history of the Island. When you find the cache, sign the logbook and return it to the cache. To participate all you need is a smartphone or handheld GPS device. The geocaching tour is created by The Governors Island Explorer’s Guide, the new guidebook from Globe…
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The Forlorn Landmark YMCA Building Turns 90
With the Island closed to the public until May 28, we’ll take a look at some of the history of Governors Island. Ninety years ago this summer a building opened on the Island to great acclaim and was once one of the most popular on the Island. It has not been in use since President Kennedy was in office and today is boarded-up and closed. This is the Army YMCA, next door to the Fort Jay Theatre, which is also closed to the public. It faces Owasco Road, north of Cartigan Road (N 40.688006 E -74.016971). The first YMCA was built on Governors Island in 1900 to provide a place…
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Stories About the Buildings: Post Theatre
With the Island closed to the public until May 28, we’ll take a look at some of the history of Governors Island. Another of the most visible of the unused structures from Fort Jay is the old Post Theatre (building 330). Its coordinates are N 40.687681, E -74.017593 and is located next to another vacant building, the YMCA. Constructed in 1937, Building 330 is a two-story theatre building faced with reddish-brown brick laid in American bond. The main block of the building has brick quoins at the corners and a slate-covered hipped roof. On the north side is a two-story gabled projection above the entrance portico. This projection has three…
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Mayor Bill de Blasio Eyes Economic Growth and Development on Island
On February 4, 2016, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city is going to make economic development on Governors Island a high priority. He made the announcement during his State of the City speech. While he offered no specifics or timelines, he said that preserving the Historic District was paramount, but hinted that the two Development Zones on both sides of the Island will now be getting more attention. The statement by de Blasio said in full: Governors is a 172-acre oasis in New York Harbor that has a history as long as New York City itself. It was a fishing camp for the very first…
