Visit to Governors Island

I made a trip to Governors Island in New York City last weekend to take some photos photos of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the NY harbor from the unique vantage point that the island offers. I also took quite a few pictures on the island itself, which is undergoing a remarkable transformation from a former 172 acre military post to a fantastic park.

I made the video posted above shortly after I arrived on Governors Island. As I approached Outlook Hill, the tallest of the new man-made hills on the island I saw two red chairs on the lawn in front of the hill and it struck me as a good spot to make a short video explaining the purpose of my visit. See my pictures below.

gi-gmf-on-discoverry-hill

I do have to make a correction to something I said in the video. When I was explaining the history of Governors Island and I stated that the history of the island goes back to the Revolutionary War period, when it was under the control of the British Army. In fact, the island was occupied well before that, going back to when the Dutch arrived in 1624.

Here is the timeline of Governors Island:

1524 Giovanni da Verrazano was the first European to see the island.

1624 First settlers arrived from the Dutch Republic

1674 The British took control of the island

17883 The American Army takes control of the island as the British leave the island on Evacuation Day

1966 The U.S. Army leaves the island and the island is converted to U.S Coast Guard base.

1996 The Coast Guard closes it’s base at the island.

2001 Governors Island National Monument created. The monument encompasses 22 acres and includes Fort Jay and Castle Williams

2003 The Federal Government turns over 150 acres of Governors Island to the City of New York.

2007 Redevelopment of the island begins.