Historian Barry Moreno discusses Castle Clinton's varied history, from its years as an immigration station to its decades as a performance space. He describes its brief version as an aquarium, and its near destruction to make room for the Battery Tunnel.
Originally erected in 1808-1811 as the Southwest Battery for the War of 1812, Castle Clinton was part of the NY Harbor Coastal Fortification system. It was originally located 300 feet offshore and connected to Manhattan via a bridge. In 1817 it was renamed Castle Clinton in honor of DeWitt Clinton, the mayor of New York City, and served as a reception hall for important visitors.
It was one of the city's most popular attractions until it closed in 1941, when a vindictive Robert Moses (who had recently been prevented him building the Brooklyn-Battery Bridge), tried to demolish it. Thanks to supporters in the City and Federal Government, the fort became part of the National Park System in 1946 and was saved. The National Park Service restored it in 1986 as the original Castle Clinton.