About Andrew Cusack
Writer, web designer, etc.; born in New York; educated in Argentina, Scotland, and South Africa; now based in London. read more
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New Globe Theatre
Plans are afoot for the construction of a New Globe Theatre in the middle of Castle Williams on Governors Island in New York Harbor. The theatre would be of the same concept as Shakespeare’s old Globe, now reconstructed close to the original site in Southwark, London.
The new old Globe was rebuilt in the style of the old, however, whereas the just plain new Globe will be built to a design by Foster and Partners, one of those trendy firms who’ve done some good stuff but a great deal of thoroughly uninspiring work as well. Their plans for the theatre are uninteresting but acceptable. Castle Williams has a certain beauty of its own, and the theatre will largely be demolishing some of the abusive reconstruction it has undergone in the past century, and that we must welcome.
I also think it will be rather nifty to see Shakespeare performed here, as theatregoers will have to take to the waves and catch a boat to get to the New Globe; there’s no other way of getting to Governors Island bar the air.
The theatre will be topped by a restaurant and bar which will feature some of the best views of the harbor and of the lower Manhattan skyline.
This view from the top of Castle Williams shows the halcyon days of Manhattan skyscrapers. The superb triumvirate of the Bank of Manhattan building, the Farmers Trust building and the Cities Service building (my favorite skyscraper) reign supreme.
The keystone above the entrance to Castle Williams.
Above, a stone staircase in Castle Williams, and below, an aerial view of the island. The island is named as such becuase it was reserved by the Assembly for the use of the royal governors of New York. I must restrain myself from turning this into a post on Governors Island in general though, because then we would be here forever.
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In March 2005, The Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation called for opinions about the appropriateness of locating a Shakespearean Globe Theater within Castle Williams on the island, off Manhattan’s southern tip. At the time, I wrote a lengthy letter to this body voicing my opposition to the proposal.
One reason for opposing this plan is personal. A member on our family tree played a significant role in the history of the island and Castle Williams. Gustavus Loomis graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1811. His first posting as a second lieutenant was to an artillery regiment at Fort Columbus (now Fort Jay), before he took part in the War of 1812. During his career, he served on the Niagara frontier, in two Florida Seminole Native wars, and in the Black Hawk and Mexican wars, and as commandant of numerous Western posts.
His last posting, from 1861 until 1864, was as commander of the island’s Fort Columbus and Castle Williams, where he supervised both fortifications as Civil War prisons. Measles, typhus, smallpox, pneumonia and intermittent fevers raged within the prison walls.
I also oppose the concept of a theater in such an historical setting. How did the present idea of turning one of the two forts under Loomis’ command into a theater come about? Did someone look at the roundness of Castle Willaims and think that the old Globe Theater of London was round, so therefore it must be a good idea to place a theater within Castle Williams? Did anyone study in-depth the history of these structures and ask if there were an interesting way to tell the history of the island and its fortifications?
Shouldn’t we honor the pain and suffering that occurred within this prison? Would we erect a theater inside Alcatraz? Have a dance troupe perform over the graves at Arlington National Cemetery or at the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial?
Barbara Romer, the art historian behind the idea of erecting a theater within the castle, suggests she is preserving the castle’s historic integrity. I object: A theater within the castle would be violating the castle’s historic intergrity.
I’m doing a project that’s due tomorrow (April 19th)You don’t by chance have and Old Globe theater picture do you?
@ Linda Loomis
Castle Williams never saw military action and is currently in a state of terrible decay (Yes, I’ve been there). Equating it to Arlington or Gettysburg is absurd. I live near Propsect Park where there was real military action in the Revolutionary War. Should I feel guilty playing with my daughter there? What do you propose? Opening a typhoid museum? It’s unlikely to draw enough visitors to maintain the space. The New Globe design would actually allow for a restoration of the original fort, as well as bringing life into a long-dead space.