The Governor's House, also known as Building 2, is a historic house on

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1973. The Governor's House was built 1805–1813, during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

and was originally known as the Guard House. It is the oldest structure on the island that is not a fortification, but contrary to popular misconception, is not the Colonial Governor's Mansion, which was built in 1702. Building 2 was commanding officers' quarters between 1822 and 1843, then was used the main guard house and post commanding officers' quarters until the 1920s. The building was then used as officers' quarters by 1922. A brick annex was built to the south in 1939. The Governor's House is a two-story Georgian brick structure. The footprint is similar to a

Greek Cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a ''crucifix'' and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

, and the

gable roof A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof ...

projections, covered with asphalt, intersect at the center of the "cross". The entrance

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...

contains

Ionic columns The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite o ...

under an

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

, with a paneled wooden door behind a transom, and is accessed by a concrete-upon-brick stoop. At the entrance portico above the second story is a small

lunette A lunette (French ''lunette'', "little moon") is a half-moon shaped architectural space, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void. A lunette may also be segmental, and the arch may be an arc taken ...

window. The windows around the house are six-over-six, double-hung, with brownstone windowsills. The east-side annex has a

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...

doorway and cast stone sills.

References

Houses completed in 1702 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Georgian Revival architecture in New York City Governors Island 1702 establishments in the Province of New York New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan {{Manhattan-NRHP-stub