Castle Clinton & Battery Park, New York

Fort Amsterdam was the first fort in Manhattan. It was built in 1626 when New York City was known by the Dutch name New Amsterdam. Fort Amsterdam was demolished in 1790, and a new fort called "West Battery" was installed at the tip of Manhattan Island in 1811.

Designed by architect John McComb Jr. with Army Colonel Jonathan Williams as a consulting engineer, West Battery was roughly circular with a radius of approximately 92 feet. It had a battery of 28 "thirty-two pounder" cannons, complementing triple-tiered Castle Williams on nearby Governors Island. A wood bridge connected the fort to the tip of lower Manhattan.

In 1815, West Battery was named Fort Clinton in honor of New York City Mayor DeWitt Clinton. The fort was garrisoned in 1812 but never used for combat. It became a popular promenade and beer garden. Later, it was an immigration center. Between 1896 and 1941, it was converted into an aquarium. Now it's a tourist center and terminal for the Statue of Liberty ferry.

The recently renovated 25-acre Battery Park has more than a few monuments and memorials, mostly located on "Monument Walk." Hope Garden is a memorial dedicated to AIDS victims. The Sphere, the world's largest bronze sculpture by German artist Fritz Koenig, was exhibited there. The Netherland Monument recalls the purchase of Manhattan Island.

Other memorials are The Memorial of the Battle of the Atlantic; The American Merchant Marine Memorial; The Immigrants; The Korean War; John Ericsson and the USS Monitor; and the Explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano statue. Battery Park is part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway that surrounds the entire island of Manhattan.