Fort Tilden Historic District

Fort Tilden occupies the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens and was founded by the U.S. Army in 1917, shortly after Germany resumed submarine warfare. The district contains World War II era gun emplacements, shell magazines, igloo magazines and earth-covered concrete bunkers, along with Nike missile silos and radar tracking towers from the 1950s. The two casemates of Battery Harris, each built to hold a 16-inch gun, were covered with earth so they resemble sand hills. Fort Tilden worked with Fort Hancock on Sandy Hook as the outer defense of New York Harbor. Its structures record the shift from open coastal guns to bomb-resistant casemates and then to guided missiles as warfare changed. Air defense facilities were deactivated around 1967, and the fort's resources were never used in action against an enemy. Much of the western part of the post is now neglected, with sand and vegetation encroaching on the deteriorating structures. The National Park Service holds most of the land today.