With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

A teardrop-shaped island in NY Harbor due for a makeover

It's a priceless piece of real estate largely unknown to New York's 8 million inhabitants. From its shore, visitors can see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Situated in the middle of New York Harbor, just a half mile from lower Manhattan, Governors Island is about to undergo an extensive makeover that would turn much of it into lush parkland.

A consortium of five design companies was chosen in December to transform the teardrop-shaped island, turning the flat southern end into a park with manmade hills and a shoreline promenade.

Improvements also are in store for the northern half, a historic district with graceful 18th and 19th century houses, a defunct 9-hole golf course and a former Army parade ground.

Sold by its original Dutch settlers to the British in 1708, the 172-acre island later became an American military base for 202 years — home to soldiers, Confederate prisoners of war and the Coast Guard, yet off limits to civilians.
Read entire article at AP