This World & Nearer Ones

Governors Island by the Numbers

Governors Island is a 172 acre island in the middle of New York Harbor. The Island was originally half its current size, 92 acres. At the turn of the 20th century, the 4.3 million cubic yards of landfill was added to its southern end to make its present size. The landfill was from the digging of the Lexington Avenue subway line in Manhattan.

The northern 92 acres on Governors Island have been declared a National Historic District.

When Governors Island was a working military base, 3,500 lived here and an additional 1,500 people came to work here everyday.

There are 52 landmarked historic buildings on Governors Island, totaling 1.4 million square feet of space.

The Island's largest building is Liggett Hall. Liggett Hall was designed by McKim, Meade and White in 1929 to house an entire Army regiment. The building is 450,000 square feet, and is as long as the Chrysler Building is tall.

The promenade that encircles the Island is 2.2 miles long. For the first time, visitors can experience the entire promenade this year.

There are more than seven miles of car-free biking available on Governors Island. One in four visitors rides a bike while visiting.

Governors Island was first open to the public in 2005, when 8,000 people visited over the course of the summer. In 2008, more than 128,000 New Yorkers and others visited.

Governors Island will be home to a world-class park and public open spaces in the future. An acclaimed team, led by the Dutch firm West 8, is designing a new park for the Island, the Great Promenade, and rejuvenated open spaces in the National Historic District.

MEDIA CONTACT: Nicholas Weist, nickw@creativetime.org