October 5, 2008
OHNY: Governors Island's cinema, gym, chapel
Governors Island, the former military base that has been free and open to the public all summer, is opening up even more of its historic structures for Open House NY weekend.
open just this weekend are Governors Island’s ’30s-era cinema, Catholic wedding chapel and upstairs gym (housed in what was the largest U.S. military building before the Pentagon was built.)
 And while the buildings are free, that not necessarily easy to find. At least as of Saturday afternoon, there were no OpenHouse NY signs marking any of the entrances, and only two of the three locations were staffed by rangers from the National Park Service, (which operates administers the historic district on the island.)
To find the big gym in the Liggett Hall, you need to head through the giant archway heading toward the mini-golf course and the bronze casting of the Wright Brothers’ propeller from their Governors Island flight. Under the archway, there’s a door propped open by a chair. Enter that doorway, and up several flights of stairs, you’ll find the gym, with peeling paint, views of the Statue of Liberty and arched windows more reminiscent of a church.
 Further down the street, you can enter Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Chapel, which is where 95 percent of the island’s weddings were performed.
Nearby, you can also enter the Governors Island theater. Constructed in 1939 under the supervision of Army Motion Picture Services, the Fort Jay Theater screened first-run movies as well as live theater.
Irving Berlin’s “This is the Army!” is said to have been inspired by a 1942 show the composer saw at the Fort Jay Theater.
The theater was used by the Coast Guard until 1996 when families living on the island could still catch the Friday-night double feature of first-run films for $2. The now-playing board still said “Lost in Time 2.”
Some of the other historic buildings on the island are open to the public throughout the season (including the impressive Generals House,) but the cinema, chapel and gym are only open for OHNY weekend. Governors Island is only open seasonally; its final weekend for 2008 will be October 11 and 12. The ferry ride from Lower Manhattan and admission to the island and the historic buildings are free.
See more pictures of the three buildings after the jump.
The big gym at Liggett Hall:
The Catholic chapel:
The cinema:
Picture credits: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology
Earlier: OpenHouse NY 2008 no-reservations required picklist
October 5, 2008 9:35 AM in Architecture
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