3. Governors Island Beach
The southern part of Governors Island (the cone of the ice cream cone) was made from landfill that came out of the excavation of the Lexington Avenue subway (4/5/6 lines) in 1912. 4,787,000 cubic yards of fill were used to add 103 acres to Governors Island. There was 175,000 cubic yards of fill added to create the first section of the new park that opened in 2014, and 297,000 additional cubic yards added to make The Hills. In total, 472,000 cubic yards of fill were added for both phases of the new park, which would fill the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal three times (with fill left over still) or a line of 1600 subway cars stretching from Yonkers to Battery Park.
However, the beach at the Governors Club is on the historic, original portion of the island. The website of the Governors Club claims that it is the only “only man-made beach and outdoor beer garden in New York City.” In practice, most people will know it as a popular concert venue. The beach was formerly part of a program of beaches known as the “Water Taxi beaches” (some may remember the one on Hunters Point South, in Long Island City that closed in 2011 or the one at South Street Seaport).
