Commanding Officer’s Quarters
Governors Island
This imposing residence is the Commanding Officer’s Quarters, also known as the Admiral’s House (after the most recent Coast Guard residents.) Built in the Greek revival style, it was completed in 1843. The house was designed by prominent New York architect Martin E. Thompson, who is best known locally for the design of The Arsenal in Central Park.
Throughout its occupancy, the building was home to the Island’s highest ranking officer and his family. Until 1966, that person was the Army commander. The commander was in charge of such notable commands as the Department of the East, the Second Corps Area and the First Army, which was first modern U.S. Army combat organization. After the 1966 transfer of the Island from Army to Coast Guard control, the house became the quarters of the admiral in command of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest command extending from the Caribbean to the Arctic.
The large residence is more than 12,000 square feet. It was formally furnished and often used by the commander in residence to entertain visiting dignitaries. Many of the original features remain, including the ornate mantelpieces and woodwork. Unique among the other buildings in the Governors Island Historic District, the interior has been designated historically significant.
Marker can be reached from Barry Road, on the left when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
