The
Battery (formerly
known as Battery Park) is a 25-acre public park located at the southern
tip of Manhattan Island facing New York Harbor. It is bounded by Battery Place
on the north, State Street on the east, New York Harbor to the south, and the Hudson
River to the west. The park contains attractions such as an old fort named Castle
Clinton; multiple monuments; and the SeaGlass Carousel. The surrounding area,
known as South Ferry, contains multiple ferry terminals, including the Staten
Island Ferry's Whitehall Terminal as well as boat launches to the Statue of
Liberty National Monument.
The park and
surrounding area is named for the artillery batteries that were built in the
late 17th century to protect the settlement behind them. By the 1820s, the
Battery had become an entertainment destination, with the conversion of Castle
Clinton into a theater venue. During the mid-19th century, the modern-day
Battery Park was constructed and Castle Clinton was converted into an
immigration and customs center. The Battery was commonly known as the landing
point for immigrants to New York City until 1890, when the Castle Clinton
immigration center was replaced by one on Ellis Island. Castle Clinton then
hosted the New York Aquarium from 1896 to 1941.
In 1940, the
entirety of Battery Park was closed for twelve years due to the construction of
the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel and the Battery Park Underpass. The park reopened
in 1952 after a renovation, but then subsequently went into decline. The
Battery Conservancy, founded in 1994 by Warrie Price, underwrote and funded the
restoration and improvement of the once-dilapidated park. In 2015, the
Conservancy renamed the park to its historic name of "the Battery".
