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The Remarkable Story of Battery Park's Castle Clinton

This is part of Urban Archive's "Arms and Armories: Fort Week," a series that features a week of stories about the military installations that once defended the city.

If you’ve ever had a picnic in Battery Park or taken a trip to the Statue of Liberty you’ve probably walked through Castle Clinton, a medieval-looking fortress by the water's edge that dates back to 1808. This structure, now used as a ticket office and information center for tourists heading to Liberty Island, has endured almost as many changes as New York City itself. It was nearly demolished on six different occasions, only to be finally rescued and restored by the National Park Service in 1946. A remnant of the City’s colonial roots, the building has been involved in military, artistic, and immigration-oriented initiatives since it’s construction, serving an impressively diverse variety of roles during its 207 years of existence.

Like the Museum at Eldridge Street, the now restored building is symbolic of the massive waves of immigration that forever changed our country and the site pays homage to the stories of the people who passed through its doors during each stage of its evolution. It's a story that is integral to our past as well as our future.

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Museum at Eldridge Street

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Castle Clinton

Castle Clinton

Construction of the fort commenced in 1808, four years before the United States would declare war with Great Britain yet again. The war of 1812 carried on for two years before both sides were finally willing to negotiate peace. The fort, situated only two blocks west of where Fort Amsterdam once stood in 1626 when the island was controlled by the Dutch, was fully armed with 28 cannons, each capable of firing a 32-pound cannonball approximately 1.5 miles into the harbor. After a brief period of the war the fort was deeded to the city, and there was much discussion about what would become of it.

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Castle Clinton

Castle Clinton

During the summer of 1823, a new restaurant and entertainment center opened at the former fort which had been newly renamed Castle Garden. During this period in New York City’s history, the population was growing at an alarming rate and open outdoor space for leisure was rare, especially for the lower classes. In an effort to overcome the disease and filth that had plagued the city for many years, the interest in creating public parks and recreational areas was growing.

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Castle Clinton

Castle Clinton

The transformation of Castle Clinton to Castle Garden was, as it would continue to be for many years to come, an example of how the city was changing. Years after the initial repurposing, a roof was added to Castle Garden that allowed the space to function as an indoor opera house and theater. The space was also used to display new technologies such as the telegraph, colt revolver, underwater explosives, and an early version of the steam-powered fire engine.

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Castle Clinton

Castle Clinton

Beginning in 1855, the building took on yet another new role, one that yet again reflected how America was changing during the mid-19th century. For a variety of domestic and international reasons, waves of immigrants began to arrive in New York from across Southern and Eastern Europe. Its location at the tip of Manhattan, the first point of contact for ships, made it a natural choice for an immigration depot. In 1855, Castle Gardens officially became one of the first immigration processing centers in the nation. The site welcomed over 8 million immigrants between 1855 and 1890 before most immigrant processing was transferred to Ellis Island.

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Castle Clinton

Castle Clinton

When the federal government took over the processing of immigrants at Ellis Island, the city had to decide, yet again, what to make of Castle Clinton. Thinking back to the days when the building functioned as an entertainment center, the city decided to use Castle Clinton to benefit the neighborhood and encourage families to spend time in Battery Park. In 1896 the building opened as the new home of the New York Aquarium, whose Beluga whale made it a new and exciting attraction. The aquarium remained in Battery Park for 45 years before moving to its current location on Coney Island.

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Castle Clinton

Castle Clinton

After the fish, whales, and sea lions moved to Brooklyn, the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority Commissioner Robert Moses tried to have the structure demolished to build the Brooklyn-Battery tunnel, one of six attempts to demolish the building since 1811. Fortunately, civic reformers battled to save the fort, and in 1946 it became a U.S. historic landmark site.

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Castle Clinton

Castle Clinton

Today, Castle Clinton is an often overlooked part of Battery Park, as tourists shuffle by quickly to catch the ferry to Liberty Island. Although not as glorious as it was in its heyday, the building is an important part of the New York City collective memory and we are lucky that it still stands in its original location. Its preservation is an enduring reminder of a time when forts were needed to protect the fledgling city from foreign powers and external threats.

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Castle Clinton

Castle Clinton

The story of Castle Clinton, like so many other sites in New York City, reminds us how imperiled our history sometimes is. The site was nearly lost so many times, and it is due to the hard work of those who have fought to keep historic sites alive (and a little luck!) that we can continue to learn from the past in the very location where history happened. These sites help us better honor the stories of the New Yorkers who paved the way for those who now call the city home.

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