Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!

Governors Island has served as a military outpost for over 200 years. It began as a colonial militia base in 1755 and played a key role in defending New York Harbor during the War of 1812. During the Civil War, it was used to hold Confederate prisoners. In times of peace, the island served as a training ground and administrative center—first for the U.S. Army, and later for the Coast Guard.

I journeyed to Governor’s Island with a local school group. After touring Castle Williams, our group continued to explore other historic structures in the park. Liggett Hall, built in 1929, served as an army barracks designed to house an entire regiment. At the time, the 16th Regiment was stationed on the island and had been living in temporary wooden buildings. Liggett Hall was the largest structure the Army constructed before the Pentagon

By building the 400-yard-long Liggett Hall across the widest part of the island, the Army effectively blocked plans for a proposed airstrip. Instead, officials chose to build LaGuardia Airport in Queens.

Inside the building’s archway, we saw Never Comes Tomorrow, a sculpture by Hashimoto. The artwork is designed to represent a time vortex, symbolically linking the island’s historic past with its more recent developments on the opposite side of the building.

Next to Liggett Hall stands the former hospital that once served the Army base. Comedians the Smothers Brothers were born there while their father was stationed on the island.

There is also a historic theater, built in 1939 for the island residents. We had theaters like this in Staten Island, too, that were still operational in the 70s and 80s when I grew up there. I remember seeing Mary Poppins and Disney’s Robin Hood in a theater just like this.

Across the way from Liggett Hall is Colonel’s Row. These are six large homes, built in the 1870s for the high-ranking officers when the island became an army base. These homes were originally on the waterfront, but the island was later expanded with landfill from the excavation of the Lexington Avenue subway line. These homes are now used for art shows and non-profit organizations.

Governors Island posts➤

• Battery Maritime Building
• Soissons Landing and Castle Williams
• Liggett Hall
• Fort Jay and The Hills

---

Location: New York City
Designation: National Monument
Date designated/established: January 19, 2001
Date of my visit: September 11, 2018