Castle Garden
- Castle Clinton was first a
fort built by Dutch rulers on an island roughly 300 yards off the coast of
the mainland of Manhattan.
- After being dismantled after
the war of 1812, Castle Clinton served as a theater and a ball room.
- Eventually, castle Garden
became the first immigration center in America ( before Ellis Island)
- Over 8 million people passed
through Castle Garden over a 35 year span.
- Roughly 2 out of every three
immigrants that came to New York passed through Castle Garden
- When it shut down, Castle
Garden turned into a very popular aquarium that had exotic fish and even a
beluga whale.
- Now, Castle Garden is a
monument that has millions of visitors every year.
I know that it later became an aquarium, is there any reason for why it became an aquarium? Also, did Ellis Island stop all the immigrants from coming to Castle Garden?
ReplyDeleteThere was no specific reason why Castle Garden became an aquarium other than the fact that it could potentially make money. Ellis island was built after Castle Garden was shut down so it did not have an affect.
DeleteWhy did Castle Clinton shut down as an immigration center and turn into an aquarium?
ReplyDeleteThe amount of immigrants Castle Garden surpassed it maximum capacity. As a result, Castle Garden shut down and Ellis Island opened up to take in new immigrants.
DeleteDid the shutting down of Castle Clinton greatly affect the immigration to New York?
ReplyDeleteNo because Ellis Island was built in its place.
DeleteCastle Garden is a classic example of a building that goes through multiple uses over time as the times change -- in this case, from defense to immigration to entertainment to education/entertainment today. This happens in NYC a lot, not only in response to changing times but because the people who live in a particular neighborhood change. Can anyone think of an example? (a tough question, I know)
ReplyDeleteA perfect is example is China town. Over the last ten years or so, China town has grown a significant amount and has even took over parts of little Italy. Perhaps this is because their was an increase in the Chinese population in New York City.
ReplyDeleteYes, Chinatown has taken over much of Little Italy as its population has swelled just as Italians have been moving away to the outer boroughs, New Jersey or elsewhere. There is a building there that once served as a bank for the Italian immigrants (who used it to send money back to relatives and buy steamship tickets for return trips to Italy) that is now a funeral home for the Chinese community (who generally never return to China because of government oppression).
ReplyDelete