The the Trust for Governors Island, a not-for-profit group that manages the development of Governors Island, is currently seeking proposals to restore and reoccupy 40 historic buildings on the Governors Island, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The organization is asking educational institutions, hotels, businesses, retailers and arts groups to submit their ideas for renovating the 173-acre island, which currently functions primarily as a summer and weekend retreat.
The buildings that the trust wants renovated include a 700-seat theater, a former YMCA and a 400,000-square-foot barracks — a building designed by McKim, Meade & White that dates back to 1929 during the island’s days as a military base.
Yesterday Mayor Michael Bloomberg released a statement calling Governors Island “the centerpiece” of the “transformation of the city’s waterfront.” He credited the city’s spending on the island’s infrastructure for making it possible for the island to one day attract “year round tenants and uses.”
In May, the mayor led the groundbreaking ceremony for the first $260 million worth of investments the city plans to make on Governors Island. [WSJ] —Christopher Cameron