Fort Jay

Fort Jay Fort Columbus
Part of Governors Island
New York County, New York, United States
Type	Fortification
Site information
Owner	Public - National Park Service
Controlled by	United States of America
Open to the public	Yes
Fort Jay
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New York City Landmark No. 0543
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Coordinates	40°41′28.89″N 74°0′57.63″W / 40.6913583°N 74.0160083°W / 40.6913583; -74.0160083
Visitation	126,000 (2008)
NRHP reference No.	74001268
NYCL No.	0543
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	March 27, 1974[1]
Designated NYCL	September 19, 1967
Condition	Good
Site history
Built	1794, 1806, 1833
Built by	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jonathan Williams
In use	1794-1997
Materials	Sandstone, Granite, Brick

Fort Jay is a coastal bastion fort and the name of a former United States Army post on Governors Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. Fort Jay is the oldest existing defensive structure on the island, and was named for John Jay, a member of the Federalist Party, New York governor, Chief Justice of the United States, Secretary of State, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. It was built in 1794 to defend Upper New York Bay, but has served other purposes. From 1806 to 1904 it was named Fort Columbus, presumably for explorer Christopher Columbus. Today, the National Park Service administers Fort Jay and Castle Williams as the Governors Island National Monument.