Block House | |
New York City Landmark No. 0544
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 | |
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| Location | New York, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°41′20″N 74°0′50″W / 40.68889°N 74.01389°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1843 |
| Architect | Martin E. Thompson |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000863[1] |
| NYCL No. | 0544 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 24, 1972 |
| Designated NYCL | September 19, 1967 |
The Block House, also known as Building 9 and the Governors Island Post Hospital, is a brick building in the Nolan Park area of Governors Island in New York Harbor, New York City. Its name is due to its early use as a prison.[2] Ulysses S. Grant was briefly stationed there early in his military career.
Building 9 was constructed in 1839 in the Greek Revival style and was initially used as the Post Hospital. The roof of the building was originally flat, but was replaced with a hip roof in 1864 because the flat roof would leak.[3][4][5] Ten years later, two wings for patient wards were built because the original structure was so poorly ventilated.[4] In 1878–1879, Building 9 was converted to offices for the Military Division of the Atlantic and the Department of the East.[3][4][5] The building was used for various Army commands until the 20th century, and by 1947, the structure was converted to four sets of officers' quarters.[4][5]
Building 9 is two-stories with a red-brick facade, raised above a high schist basement. Brick paths lead from Nolan Park to the front entrance. The entrance is surrounded with granite around pedimented wood, which in turn enclosed a paneled wood door. There is a wrought-iron balcony immediately above the front entrance; the back formerly had a similar entrance design, which is now a window. The windows are six-over-six and contain granite lintels and window sills.[4]
