Colonels’ Row

Colonels’ Row. Governors Island. , Once known as Brick Row or Regimental Row and now as Colonels’ Row, the group of eight brick houses in front of you was built by the Army between 1893 and 1917. Although all were built to standard Army plans, slight variations over the years have made the houses unique. Most of the alterations took place around 1938 under the supervision of the Works Progress Administration – a program created to provide jobs for the nation’s growing number of unemployed during the Great Depression. Garages were added at this time, along with the impressive line of London Plane trees which front these houses along Hay Road., The houses were built at a time when joining the Army was not a popular career choice because of its poor housing, low pay, and a slow career track. By 1900, the United States had become a world power and needed to modernize its Army while attracting and retaining good officers to lead it. Colonels’ Row was built, in part, to entice men to make the Army a career and provide their families with quality housing. The capacious houses average 12,500 square feet and included attic space for servants’ quarters, multiple bedrooms and full basements., At the time of their construction, many of these houses fronted the southwest shore of the island. This prime beachfront location did not last for long. Beginning around 1900, the Army added landfill, extending the Island to the south by more than 100 acres. The officers’ views were no longer of the expansive harbor, but of barren new terrain. Eventually, the imposing bulk of Liggett Hall cut off the vista altogether. Despite the loss of a view, the houses remained an enticing feature for new officers.