The Battery (Manhattan)

The Battery, once called Battery Park, is a beautiful 25-acre public park at the very south end of Manhattan Island in New York City. It faces New York Harbor and is bordered by Battery Place to the north, Bowling Green to the northeast, State Street to the east, the Hudson River to the west, and the harbor itself to the south. This special place includes many interesting features, such as an old fort from the early 1800s named Castle Clinton, several monuments, and the SeaGlass Carousel.

The area gets its name from old artillery batteries built in the late 1600s to protect the nearby settlement. By the 1820s, the Battery became a popular spot for entertainment and walking. Castle Clinton was even turned into a theater. In the mid-1800s, the park took its modern shape, and Castle Clinton served as an important place where many immigrants first arrived in New York City before moving to Ellis Island in 1892. Later, from 1896 to 1941, Castle Clinton became home to the New York Aquarium.

During the 20th century, the park faced some tough times. It was closed for twelve years in the 1940s while important tunnels were built underneath. After reopening in 1952, the park needed lots of care. In 1994, a group called the Battery Conservancy started working to fix up and improve the park. Thanks to their efforts, the park was restored, and in 2015, it officially took back its historical name, "the Battery". Today, it remains a cherished spot for visitors and locals alike.

History

Site

The area where The Battery now stands was once home to the Lenape Native Americans. Dutch settlers arrived in the early 1600s and named the southern tip of Manhattan "Capske Hook" or "Capsie Hoek," meaning "rocky ledge." In 1625–1626, the Dutch built Fort Amsterdam on a hill, but it was not very strong.

The English took control in 1664 and renamed the fort Fort James. An artillery battery was added in 1683 by Governor Thomas Dongan, giving the area its name. The fort was renamed several times and eventually became Fort George by 1714.

The Battery did not fire any shots until 1776 during the American Revolutionary War when American troops tried to stop British ships from moving up the Hudson River. After the British landed nearby, the Americans left the fort. By 1788, Fort George was torn down, and its pieces were used to make the park bigger.

In the early 1800s, the West Battery was built on an island close by. It was later renamed Castle Clinton and used for fun, then as an immigration and customs center, and finally as an aquarium.

Creation

By the 1840s, people wanted to build a big park in Manhattan. Two places were considered: Jones’s Wood and the current site of Central Park. Some wanted to make Battery Park bigger, but wealthy merchants thought it would be bad for ships. So, the city agreed to make Battery Park 24 acres bigger.

The modern Battery Park was mostly made using dirt from street projects starting in 1855. This connected Castle Clinton’s island to Manhattan.

By 1870, plans were made to improve Battery Park and Bowling Green. Paths were added, and a plaza was planned outside Castle Clinton. City Pier A was built nearby in 1886 and used as a fireboat station until 1992.

Elevated and subway lines

In the late 1800s, several trains on high tracks were built near Battery Park. Because these trains used steam, they made the park dirty. Stations were built, but people wanted the tracks gone.

By 1900, the high tracks were seen as a problem, and people wanted them removed. Underground subways were also built, with the South Ferry station opening in 1905.

20th century

By the 1900s, Battery Park had started to get worse. Many ideas were suggested to improve it, but most were not done. In 1940, part of the park was closed to build the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel, and the aquarium was closed. After the tunnel was built, the park was fixed up and reopened in 1952.

Several memorials were added over the years. In the 1960s, a very tall "space needle" was suggested but never built.

Restoration and 21st century

In the 1970s and 1980s, Battery Park City was built nearby, which brought new attention and money for Battery Park. By the 1990s, the park was worn out, and a group called the Battery Conservancy was formed to help fix it.

After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the park was used for help, but work to fix it continued. New projects included a garden, a walk, and the SeaGlass Carousel. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 caused damage, but the park was fixed again.

In 2015, the park’s original name, “The Battery,” was brought back. Since then, more improvements have been made, including a new playground and plans for a wall to protect the park from rising water.

Notable attractions

The Battery park has many interesting places to see. Near the northwest corner stands Castle Clinton, an old fort built before the War of 1812. It was later used as a theater, an immigration center, and even a small aquarium. Today, it offers tickets for ferry rides to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Another fun spot is the SeaGlass Carousel, which opened in 2015. It looks like an underwater garden, with fish-shaped seats that glow in the dark.

The park also has many monuments and memorials. One important memorial is the East Coast Memorial, which honors soldiers who died during World War II in the Atlantic Ocean. It has many names carved on tall granite stones.

Castle Clinton

Main article: Castle Clinton

Castle Clinton was built as a fort before the War of 1812 and later renamed to honor Mayor DeWitt Clinton. It served many purposes over the years, including a theater, an immigration center, and a small aquarium. Today, it is a National Monument and offers tickets for ferry rides to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

SeaGlass Carousel

The SeaGlass Carousel opened in 2015. It was designed to look like an underwater garden, with glowing fish-shaped seats. Visitors ride for three-and-a-half minutes around a center hidden beneath the floor.

Memorials

Battery Park contains over 20 monuments, many gathered along a path called "Monument Walk".

Hope Garden

Hope Garden remembers people who died from AIDS. It has also been used for environmental events.

Netherland Monument

This monument was given by the Dutch to mark the 300th anniversary of purchasing Manhattan Island. It includes a tall flagpole and was moved during renovations but restored in 2000.

East Coast Memorial

This World War II memorial honors U.S. servicemen who died in the Atlantic Ocean. It features eight tall granite pillars with many names and a bronze eagle statue facing the Statue of Liberty.

American Merchant Mariners' Memorial

Located near the Hudson River, this memorial shows bronze sailors and their ship. It was dedicated in 1991.

Other memorials

The park includes several other monuments, such as:

• The Immigrants – a statue showing different kinds of immigrants who arrived through Castle Clinton.
• Korean War Memorial – a black granite obelisk for Korean War veterans.
• Statue of John Ericsson, who helped design ironclad warships.
• Walloon Settlers Memorial – honoring early settlers of New York City.
• Statue of Giovanni da Verrazzano, the first European to sail into New York Harbor.
• World War II Coast Guard Memorial.
• Wireless Operators Memorial for operators who stayed with their ships in danger.

Surroundings

Around the park

Near the park to the northwest is Battery Park City, a neighborhood built on land added to the island in the 1970s and 1980s. It includes Robert F. Wagner Park and the Battery Park City Promenade. This area was named after the park.

The park has a bike path called the Battery Bikeway, which is part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway. This path, finished in 2015, has special paving near the water and a walking path next to it. It connects to other bike paths around Manhattan, such as those along the Hudson River and the East River.

Across the street to the northeast is Bowling Green, home to the old U.S. Customs House, which now houses part of the National Museum of the American Indian.

Under the park

Two big tunnels for cars run under the park: the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel to Brooklyn and the Battery Park Underpass to connect to the FDR Drive.

Several subway tunnels also go under the park. An old station called South Ferry opened in 1905 but closed in 2009. A new station opened in its place the same year but was damaged by water during a big storm in 2012. The old station was used again until the new one reopened in 2017.

The Bowling Green station, also from 1905, is nearby and has a special old entrance called the "Control House."

Discovery of wall

In 2005, workers building a new station found pieces of an old stone wall from British times in the late 1600s or 1700s. Experts said it might be the oldest man-made structure still in place in Manhattan. Some of the wall was displayed inside Castle Clinton, and a long part of it was built into the new station's entrance.