National Register of Historic Places

Block House, The

New York, New York County, New York
Listed
July 23, 1972
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
72000863

About this property

The Block House, also known as Building 9 and the Governors Island Post Hospital, is a brick building in the Nolan Park area of Governors Island in New York Harbor, New York City. Its name is due to its early use as a prison. Ulysses S. Grant was briefly stationed there early in his military career. Building 9 was constructed in 1839 in the Greek Revival style and was initially used as the Post Hospital. The roof of the building was originally flat, but was replaced with a hip roof in 1864 because the flat roof would leak. Ten years later, two wings for patient wards were built because the original structure was so poorly ventilated. In 1878–1879, Building 9 was converted to offices for the Military Division of the Atlantic and the Department of the East. The building was used for various Army commands until the 20th century, and by 1947, the structure was converted to four sets of officers' quarters. Building 9 is two-stories with a red-brick facade, raised above a high schist basement. Brick paths lead from Nolan Park to the front entrance. The entrance is surrounded with granite around pedimented wood, which in turn enclosed a paneled wood door. There is a wrought-iron balcony immediately above the front entrance; the back formerly had a similar entrance design, which is now a window. The windows are six-over-six and contain granite lintels and window sills.

Location

New York, New York County, New York
40.68901, -74.01389

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Admiral's House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Governor's House
Colonial
0.1 mi
Fort Jay
Early Republic
0.2 mi
Governors Island
Listed
0.2 mi
MARY A. WHALEN (tanker) (Additional Documentation)
Industrial
0.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Raid on the New York Battery
1775Revolutionary War
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Block House, The listed on the National Register?

Block House, The was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 1972.

What type of historic resource is Block House, The?

Block House, The is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Block House, The?

The period of significance for Block House, The is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Block House, The?

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