Governors Island, in the heart of New York Harbor, sits roughly 800 yards off the southern tip of Manhattan and half that distance from the Brooklyn waterfront. Owned by New York State until 1800, the island was entrusted to the federal government through several transactions from 1800 to 1903 and was subsequently occupied and managed by the US Army and the US Coast Guard. One of the most historic locations in New York, Governors Island was one of the first settlements of the Dutch West India Company back in 1624 and became a strategic coastal fortification in the early 1800s for the new American military. In the 20th century, Governors Island played host to a number of historic events, including the 1988 summit meeting between US President Ronald Reagan and USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev.
The Governors Island waterfront offers some of the most dramatic and impressive vistas of the New York skyline and New York Harbor, including the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The northern half of the Island, consisting of approximately 92 acres, has been designated as both a National Historic Landmark District and a New York City Historic District.
With the transfer of the island to New York State and City in 2003, The Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation was created. This agency is responsible for the planning, redevelopment and ongoing operations for 150 acres of Governors Island. The remaining 22 acres of island were transferred to the National Park Service and designated as the Governors Island National Monument. GIPEC has been charged with creating great new civic spaces, enhanced with educational, historical, artistic and cultural, and other public-benefit uses, that benefit the island's rich history and harbor setting.
Since the summer of 2003, GIPEC has created and sponsored numerous programs to introduce the island to the New York City residents and visitors. GIPEC is also holding a series of public meetings to both keep the public informed on the progress of its on-going planning and redevelopment process, as well as to solicit comments, ideas and feedback on the future of the Island.
See govisland.com for more information about Governors Island. See Travel Info for more information about how to get to FIGMENT.