For almost two centuries, located less than half a mile from Manhattan, the island was a former US military base because it was located in a strategic location between Brooklyn and Manhattan, an important point for protection against possible warships invasions. In 1996, without any eminent war, the Coast Guard operations were closed down. Since then, New York leaders have come to press the federal government and in 2003 the federal government sold most of the Island to the people of New York for a symbolic dollar value.
Today, the Governor’s Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) manages about 60 hectares of the island, while the National Park Service manages the 8 hectares that are part of the Governors Island National Monument that include two fortresses built in the early nineteenth century.
