Blog

Gov­er­nors Island 2024 Year in Review

Dec 31, 2024 10:18 am

As we reflect on an incred­i­ble year and look ahead towards 2025, which will mark 20 years of pub­lic access, we are grate­ful for the com­mu­ni­ty of New York­ers that hop on the fer­ry each day to work, learn, eat, play, relax, research, and cre­ate on Gov­er­nors Island.

We are pleased to share our 2024 Year in Review, detail­ing a year of his­toric accom­plish­ments — includ­ing wel­com­ing the most vis­i­tors in the Island’s his­to­ry, expand­ing our role as a leader in accel­er­at­ing cli­mate solu­tions, and delight­ing vis­i­tors with sin­gu­lar cul­tur­al expe­ri­ences. Read on for high­lights, and click here to read the full report.

UNPAR­AL­LELED OPEN SPACE & RECREATION

With 120 acres of open space, includ­ing a 43-acre cli­mate-resilient park, 12 acres of ath­let­ic fields, 7 miles of car-free bike paths, and unique nat­ur­al areas, Gov­er­nors Island is a remark­able out­door resource in all sea­sons. This year, we cel­e­brat­ed the Year of Milk­weed and the pow­er of native plants, con­tin­ued to cre­ate a more resilient and thriv­ing open space, host­ed near­ly 95 events, and wel­comed near­ly 970,000 indi­vid­u­als from New York City and around the world. Read more →

TRANS­FOR­MA­TIVE ARTS & CULTURE

2024 marked a remark­able year of growth for Gov­er­nors Island Arts. We wel­comed Lau­ren Haynes as Head Cura­tor, Gov­er­nors Island Arts, and Vice Pres­i­dent, pre­sent­ed Jen­ny Kendler’s ground­break­ing Oth­er of Pearl with NRDC (Nat­ur­al Resources Defense Coun­cil), held a series of site-respon­sive per­for­mances high­light­ing acclaimed artists from around the world, and host­ed a cohort of 21 sea­son­al Orga­ni­za­tions in Res­i­dence in Nolan Park and Colonels Row. Read more →

ACCEL­ER­AT­ING CLI­MATE SOLUTIONS

Gov­er­nors Island is cre­at­ing a com­mu­ni­ty to accel­er­ate cli­mate solu­tions for cities and their pop­u­la­tions. This year, we show­cased inno­v­a­tive cli­mate tech through our pilot­ing pro­gram, restored the inte­ri­or of Build­ing 309 to serve as a com­mu­ni­ty con­ven­ing resource for cli­mate orga­ni­za­tions, and fos­tered a col­lab­o­ra­tive com­mu­ni­ty of ten­ants and part­ners work­ing in cli­mate. Read more →

FOS­TER­ING A THRIV­ING YEAR-ROUND COMMUNITY

Gov­er­nors Island is home to a grow­ing group of edu­ca­tion­al, non­prof­it, and com­mer­cial ten­ants. In 2024, many ten­ants cel­e­brat­ed mile­stones – includ­ing the Urban Assem­bly New York Har­bor School, which broke ground on a his­toric expan­sion; Low­er Man­hat­tan Cul­tur­al Coun­cil, which cel­e­brat­ed its 50^th anniver­sary year; and QC NY, which opened a brand-new 15,000-square-foot restau­rant in the new­ly restored Build­ing 111. Read more →