RFEI Released For Historic Buildings 324 And 330 On Governors Island, Manhattan

The Trust for Governors Island has released a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the revitalization of Buildings 324 and 330, two vacant historic structures on Governors Island, Manhattan. Building 324, the former Fort Jay YMCA, is a two-story Neo-Georgian structure designed by May & Hillard and completed in 1926, spanning 26,000 square feet. Building 330, the former Fort Jay Theatre, is a single-story venue completed in 1937 under the supervision of the Army Motion Picture Service, spanning approximately 10,000 square feet. The Trust is seeking proposals for arts and cultural, recreational, and other public-facing uses that would return both buildings to active, year-round use.

Building 324, via Trust for Governors Island.

Building 324’s red brick façade is laid in Flemish bond above a limestone bandcourse bearing the date 1926, and a two-story wood entrance portico with a gabled pediment fronts Owasco Road. The facility historically housed a large auditorium, an above-ground pool, and squash courts for servicemembers stationed on the island. The Trust is currently finalizing design on an approximately $7 million investment in the building’s envelope and structural elements, with Marble Fairbanks leading the stabilization work to ready the structure for its next tenant.

Building 330, via Google Maps.

Building 330 contains a 750-seat auditorium with a balcony, a 20-foot-high ceiling in the main theater volume, and 1930s-era Art Deco detailing at the proscenium and ceiling. An exterior ticket booth sits beneath a columned entrance portico in view of the Parade Ground. The theater screened first-run films and hosted live productions—a 1942 performance there helped inspire Irving Berlin’s “This Is the Army”—until the Coast Guard’s departure in 1996, and has since been used intermittently for exhibitions and performances with partners including Creative Time, No Longer Empty, and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. The seats remain in place.

Respondents may propose uses for either or both buildings, and the offering includes potential outdoor space for entry plazas and public programming. Proposals must adhere to the Trust’s sustainability and resiliency design guidelines, including full building electrification. Final submissions are due by October 26, 2026, according to the Trust.

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