Battery Park

Battery Park is a 25-acre public park facing New York Harbor and located at the southern tip of the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Battery is named for the artillery battery that was stationed there at various times by the Dutch and British in order to protect the settlements of lower Manhattan island.

Battery Park was created by landfill during the 19th century. Within the park lies Castle Clinton, a fort named for mayor DeWitt Clinton, and now a national monument. The fort was originally built on a small artificial island, 200 feet off-shore, just prior to the War of 1812. When the landfill was later added to create Battery Park, it enclosed the fort.

Before Ellis Island, Castle Clinton was used as the federal immigration center for the east coast, processing approximately eight million immigrants between 1855 to 1890.

Battery Park contains many monuments honoring soldiers, explorers, inventors, and immigrants. Among them are The Korean War Memorial and The East Coast Memorial, a World War II war memorial. Included is Fritz Koenig's The Sphere, which once stood at the center of the plaza of the World Trade Center a few blocks away. Although badly damaged in the attacks of September 11, 2001 it has been temporarily relocated at Battery Park and serves to memorialize the victims of 9/11.

Battery Park is where the history of New York City began. Early settlers sailing into New York Harbor would use this location as the first spot on which to land.