The Battery Wall

Commissioner: MTA Arts & Design; Art in the Parks - NYC Department of Parks and Recreation

Preservation Organization: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

Date : Constructed, 1750; Excavated, 2005

The most widely publicized finding at the South Ferry Project is the "wall". It was part of the battery that protected the fort and also acted as a seawall made of stone. The battery would have had cannon mounted along it to fire at enemy ships. Four different sections of the battery wall have been found, spanning a distance of almost 600 feet. It ranges from about 8 to 10 feet wide. The largest section is about 75 feet long and up to four feet high, although it would have been much higher when it was built. There was a battery in the area during the 1600's, but the battery wall found at the South Ferry Terminal Project was likely built sometime after 1730, but before 1766. It was demolished after the Revolutionary War and buried with fill to create Battery Park. Parts of the wall are on display in the Park and the new South Ferry Subway Station.