Battery Park
John McComb, Jr., 1811

Castle Clinton is a defensive fortress that was built for the War of 1812; the round walls are eight feet thick and built of solid sandstone blocks. When it was built, the land on which it sits was an island about 200 feet away from Manhattan Island. The fact that Castle Clinton is now clearly on Manhattan demonstrates how much the shoreline has changed through land reclamation and landfill. The fortress has had a varied history: it has served as a performance space, an immigrant processing center, and a home for the New York Aquarium. Presently, it’s the ticket office for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.