Castle Clinton is a unique structure that has been transformed multiple times in its history. A utilitarian harbor fortification later turned popular entertainment palace, it later served as the landing depot for millions of immigrants, before being transformed into an aquarium, and threatened with demolition by resident megalomaniac Robert Moses. Yet it has persisted for over 200 years, a witness to the exponential growth and literal expansion of lower Manhattan.
Castle Garden, 1853, after a drawing by J. Bornet. From Valentine’s Manual of Old New York, edited by Henry Collins Brown, 1925.
In 1807, an increased need for updated coastal defenses prompted Congress to fund the construction of new forts. This second system of coastal defense resulted in four forts in New York harbor. The West Battery was built on an artificial island 200 feet off of the tip of Manhattan Island and reached by a wooden causeway. It was engineered by Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Williams, who also designed the updated fort on Governors Island, which was later named Castle Williams. Built of red sandstone, the fort had 8 foot thick walls and could mount 28 guns, which were fired for the first time in November 1811 to celebrate the anniversary of Evacuation Day on November 23rd. Fortunately, they were never fired at any enemy ships, only ever opening up again for target practice on sunken ships in the harbor.
Manhattan seen from Governors Island, 1816. These guns are on the ramparts of Fort Columbus, and Fort Williams is out of view behind. On the left of this picture, between the ships, is the newly named Fort Clinton. Early plans called for it to mirror the fort on Governors Island, although the construction of the artificial island was so expensive that it was restricted to one story. From Manual of the Corporation of the City of New York by D.T. Valentine, 1842.
‘In 1815, the fort was renamed Castle Clinton after Mayor (and future Governor) DeWitt Clinton, and it was briefly the headquarters of the U.S. Third Military District. General Winfield Scott moved the headquarters to Governors Island and the larger three-story Fort Williams in 1821. Fort Clinton was decommissioned and ownership reverted to New York City, which leased it out for $1400 a year. Little time was wasted converting it into an entertainment venue, and on August 16, 1824 it was where the Marquis de Lafayette landed at the beginning of his 13 month-long tour of the U.S., stepping onto richly carpeted stairs through a flower-covered arch. A grand fete given in his honor later in September hosted 6,000 revelers within the walls of the old fort.
Lafayette’s arrival at Castle Garden, 1824. An estimated 30,000 people gathered on the Battery to view the arrival of the “Guest of the Nation.” From Frank Leslie’s History of the Greater New York by Daniel Van Pelt.
Early renovations to Castle Garden included a fanciful ornamental garden along the old parade ground, a rooftop promenade covered by an awning, and boxes along the walls that folks could rent to enjoy refreshments and the frequent concerts that were held. The old officers’ quarters was converted into a saloon. Other attractions included fireworks displays, balloon ascensions, and scientific lectures. In 1841 Samuel Colt demonstrated his submarine battery off of the fort, and the next year inventor Samuel F.B. Morse demonstrated his experimental telegraph to large crowds, sending messages to Castle Williams via an insulated copper wire.
Castle Garden as it appeared in the early years after opening, c. 1826. From Iconography of Manhattan Island 1498-1909, Volume Three by I.N. Phelps Stokes.
Folks enjoying Battery Park on a nice day, c. 1830. Castle Garden is to the right, and Castle Williams can be seen across the harbor. From A tour around New York, and My summer acre by John Flavel Mines.
Castle Garden was altered and greatly expanded beginning in 1844 with the express purpose of turning it into a theater. A second story was added, a vaulted rotunda was constructed supported by delicate columns, and balconies and seats were installed facing a large stage. The new Castle Garden Theatre could hold over 5,000 patrons and featured frequent vaudeville acts as well as opera performances. It was here in September 1850 that soprano Jenny Lind, the “Swedish Nightingale,” caused a sensation in New York with her appearance, which impresario P.T. Barnum had vigorously promoted to great personal and financial success.
The newly expanded Castle Garden, 1846. The placard and flag are drawing attention to the annual American Institute Fair. From the Official Index of the Sixty-fifth American Institute Fair, 1896.
One of Jenny Lind’s memorable performances at Castle Garden, 1850. The crowd was standing-room only, and prime seats sold for thousands of dollars. From Gleason’s Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, July 12. 1851, Volume 1, Number 2.
With no shortage of pleasure palaces around the city but a pressing need to address the increasing number of immigrants coming to Manhattan, the city commissioners decided to take back Castle Garden and lease it to New York State, resulting in another transformation, this time to the Emigrant Landing Depot. Opened in 1855, it included facilities for immigrants to get a meal, exchange money, buy train and boat tickets to other places, get information about traveling safely, find lodging in the city, and look for work. Ships first docked at the quarantine station in Staten Island before those cleared were ferried to Manhattan.
The expansion of Battery Park, 1869. The park had been filled in bit by bit over the years, and now surrounded Castle Clinton. The square structures are bathing pavilions. From Manual of the Corporation of the City of New York by Joseph Shannon, 1869.
Both the Irish Emigrant Society and German Emigrant Society had offices in the building, and during the Civil War Army representatives set up recruiting booths in the depot. It was not uncommon for 4,000 people to pass through on a given day, and in its 35 years of operation it processed over 8 million people. Yiddish-speaking immigrants pronounced the structure’s name “Kesselgarden,” which soon became a common term denoting a crowded, chaotic place. The Federal Government took over operations from the state in 1890, and immigrants were processed in the nearby Barge Office until the new immigration station on Ellis Island opened in 1892.
The Emigrant Landing Depot seen from the harbor, c. 1870. From New York Illustrated, presented to members of the National Division, Sons of Temperance of North America, by the Grand Division of Eastern New York at the 29th annual session, New York City, June 18, 1873.
Following the closure of the depot, the structure sat empty for several years, until the firm of McKim, Mead and White was hired to convert the structure into the New York Aquarium. Over 30,000 people passed through on opening day in 1896, and a total of 1,635,252 visited during the first year and it was immensely popular, later garnering an annual attendance of well over 2 million. It was the largest aquarium in the world and included 7 large main pools, 94 tanks along the wall, and 26 holding tanks for additional animals.
The main floor (above) and ground plan (below) of the New York Aquarium. From Guide to the New York Aquarium by Charles Haskins Townsend, 1919.
Fresh water was supplied using connections to the Croton system, and salt water was pumped directly in from the river. The tanks had special cooling and heating systems, and there was the capacity to add extra oxygen to each tank. The space included a fish hatchery, which provided fish that were deposited in waters around the state, as well as a laboratory and lecture hall that educated thousands of schoolchildren a year.
Exterior of the New York Aquarium c. 1910. From Country Life in a Big City, published by the Williamsburgh Post Card Company.
The aquarium operated until 1941, when Robert Moses demanded that the “obsolete” aquarium close and move, and then using this as pretext to raze it altogether. Moses derided the old fort as a “red wart,” and went so far as to demolish the aquarium structure, although he was thankfully prevented from tearing down the thick walls of the fort after some historic preservationists, chiefly George McAneny, got involved in a years-long fight to save the old fort. This successfully resulted in an injunction against Moses and the designation of the Castle Clinton National Monument in 1950. The fort has since been restored to its original military appearance, and remains a popular attraction today.
Select Sources
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro
Immigrant Life in New York City, 1825-1863 by Robert Ernst
The Graves Are Walking: The Great Famine and the Saga of the Irish People by John Kelly
The Golden Door: Italian and Jewish Immigrant Mobility in New York City 1880-1915 by Thomas Kessner
Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City by Michelle Nevius and James Nevius