ADIRONDACK
[Last updated 07-11-26]
These large red chairs move all around the island. Bulky as they are, they are quite comfortable and are often the first objects to be appropriated by tourists on weekends.
This digital asset comes with 2 chairs, a painterly patch of grass, and a couple of fireflies.
BLOCKHOUSE-1843
[Last updated 07-28-26]
This model is based on the watercolor elevations from the original drawings of the Block House, “Buliding 9,” circa 1830s. Initially built as a hospital, the Block House’s square plan originally had a long side wing extending out to the west, and could be accessed from both north and south elevations. We are not sure why the brick was rendered pink; today it shows its red brick construction.
Potentially due to its role as a hospital and as an officer’s quarters (rather than for hospitality), this edifice is the only building on Nolan Park without a porch. As fellows, we often sat on its high stoop looking along its northern axis across the park, activating its foreboding front elevation.
BLOCKHOUSE-2026
[Last updated 08-03-26]The Block House itself — the site of the IPA residency — has been a crucial asset for island life and a special vantage from which to observe and experience the island as a temporary resident. The Block House is the only continuously inhabited structure on the island, transforming in function from a hospital to a military domicile, to a home for the coast guard, to a home for ferry captains, and finally to a group of architecture fellows.
The House might even be considered an ultimate asset library; a container or hub that stores, remembers, and holds all the things of the island.
BENCH AND RACK
[Last updated 08-03-26]The IPA dining room used to be a gym for ferry captains. In a photograph from 2004, a workout bench and rack are ceremonially documented in the middle of the room, next to a framed photo of George Washington.
Reference: Governors Island: Photographs by Lisa Kereszi and Andrew Moore, 2004.
CANNONBALL
[Last updated 07-15-26]Sometime in June, an archaeologist found a cannonball during a construction dig. Part of the island was cordoned off from the public and a building was evacuated, so that the errant ordinance could be tested for the presence of unexploded gunpowder.
How many more unexploded ordinances are buried beneath this island’s layered military history?
Reference image from "New York: The City of Forts," Bowery Boys Podcast, June 24, 2015.
FERRY
[Last updated 07-15-26]Rain or shine, storm or snow: ferries connect the island to the rest of the city. Three cheers for the ferry operators!
There are a couple of different models: the NYC Ferry is a full-passenger vehicle, while a newer Governors Island ferry has half of its platform allotted for vehicles such as delivery and maintenance trucks.
Ferries dock at Soissons Landing (from Wall Street) and Yankee Pier (from Brooklyn Bridge Park / Red Hook).
For ferry times, check this schedule.
GOLF-CART
[Last updated 08-02-26]On a largely car-free island, golf carts are the mode of transport par excellence for island staff .
This one is dedicated to Tristan who drove over to us in the dark to check on us during a power cut! We have also ascended Outlook Hill via golf cart by night...
This digital asset comes with headlamps on.
HYDRATION-STATION
[Last updated 07-30-26]Parked on the side of the athletic field is a portable hydration station, essentially a six-tap water fountain hooked up to a fire hydrant.
While many buildings do not have a water main connection, hydrants provide potable water and can be tapped into as micro resources.
This digital asset comes with some water and a patch of grass growing where the sink drains.
HELICOPTER
[Last updated 07-30-26]At least once every hour on weekdays and weekends, helicopters fly overhead across the island with their noisy choppers. They are mostly commerical vehicles flying tourists from the Wall Street helipad. On occasion, military helicopters have been spotted.
NB: The orange color is for graphic effect (they are usually black).
This digital asset comes with languidly rotating blades and is scaled down slightly for comic effect.
LOCAL-FLYER
[Last updated 07-30-26]This flyer show a local coalition’s resistance to proposed new development on Governor’s Island. Construction for a climate center and new school are already underway, leaving long-term custodians and nonprofits to wonder what the island will look and feel like in a matter of years.
This digital asset is a scan of the original flyer found on the IPA fridge.
NOLAN-PARK-HOUSE
[Last updated 07-25-26]The buildings themselves are perhaps the most defining physical and cultural assets of Governor’s Island.
The Nolan Park dwellings have lived multiple lives over the course of the last century and more: housing arts organizations, fellows, ferry captains, coast guard families, operations crew (and some might say, ghosts). They are containers for activation!
OYSTER-CASTLE
[Last updated 07-15-26]These enigmatically domed concrete (oystercrete?) structures look like deployable oyster habitats for underwater rehabilitation. I happened upon a cluster of them near Soissons Landing, and we got a little tour of various prototypes at the oyster pile.
If you want to know how it works you should ask our neighbors at the Billion Oyster Project.
PORCH-CHAIRS
[Last updated 08-01-26]Recliners can be found dotted in the shade of Nolan Park porches.
Sometimes two chairs or rocking benches will be placed side by side, inviting another person to join.
During open house weekends, artists and minders can be found resting here while waiting for visitors.
This digital asset comes with light rocking and chunky lines that give chairs the thickness of wood.
SOCCERBALL
[Last updated 07-30-26]On July 19th, a public screening of the 2026 World Cup final match was held at the Parade Ground, supported by the NYC Mayor’s Office as the “People’s Final.” For a few hours, crowds gathered under the sun to watch, kids kicked balls to each other, and large soccer inflatables roamed the lawn.
SOISSONS-LANDING
[Last updated 07-01-26]This iconic gantry structure is easy to spot. It is the first thing I saw coming over from Wall Street that made me realize I had truly left Manhattan.
TREE
[Last updated 07-28-26]The trees of Governor’s island provide shade, environmental benefits, and history. We were told that the oldest tree lives in Nolan Park. Governor’s Island was originally referred to by the Lenape as Paggank ("nut island"), for its abundance of oak, hickory, and chestnut trees. In the summer, some trees shed their bark, leaving dry strips all over the ground.
This digital asset comes with fireflies, low-poly mesh leaves, and occasional bark falling off the trunk.
This is a non-exhaustive list of Governor’s Island’s many assets and objects. If you have any tips for a compelling asset, do reach out!
Amelyn Ng © Summer Residency, Institute for Public Architecture40° 41' 20.1048" / -74° 0' 49.0104"Governor’s Island, New York City