{"nrhp_refnum":"74001268","name":"Fort Jay","other_names":["Fort Columbus"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Governor's Island","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.691373534000036,"lon":-74.01586459899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-03-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A pentagonal masonry fort on Governors Island in New York City, begun in 1794 and extensively rebuilt in 1806-08, with brick officers' quarters surrounding a square courtyard and enclosed by a dry moat.","why_significant":"The fort is significant as an early federal harbor defense for New York, built under threat of war with France and rebuilt before the War of 1812. It also has notable military architecture, including a Federal-style entrance gate with French influence and a trophee d'armes. It is a well-preserved example of its type.","narrative":"Fort Jay occupies Governors Island in New York Harbor and is a pentagonal fortification with four masonry bastions, a dry moat and a ring of two-story brick officers' quarters around a square courtyard. Work began in 1794 amid fears of war with France, and an earthwork completed in 1798 was named for John Jay. Between 1806 and 1808 the fort was largely rebuilt in stronger materials and renamed Fort Columbus, a name changed back to Fort Jay in 1904. It never fought an enemy, as the British fleet did not attack the city during the War of 1812. Its most striking feature is the Federal-style stone gateway, shaped like an arc de triomphe, with four Doric pilasters, a low-arched opening within a blind arch, and a crowning trophy of flags, cannon, a liberty cap and a spread eagle. The quarters have Tuscan-columned verandas and low-pitched gable roofs.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as having a well-preserved dry moat; the form marks the property as occupied, in military use, and altered. Owned by the U.S. Coast Guard.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.198166-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/74001268.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001268/bf4833d948-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001268/bf4833d948-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"SebastianBlumeArt","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_view_of_Fort_Jay_on_Governors_Island,_New_York_City.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">SebastianBlumeArt</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_view_of_Fort_Jay_on_Governors_Island,_New_York_City.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"85002435","name":"Governors Island","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/governors-island-85002435/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319513","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Jay","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5470967"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/fort-jay-74001268/"}