<P> In 1996, Van Alen Institute hosted an ideas competition called "Public Property" which asked designers "to consider the urban potential of Governors Island in terms of spatial adjacencies and experiential overlaps between a range of actions, actors, events, and ecologies...to acknowledge the physical reality of cities and their historic programmatic complexity as fundamental to the survival of a vital public realm ." The competition was open to anyone who registered . More than 200 entries from students, faculty, and landscape architects in 14 different countries were received . The jury members included: Andrea Kahn, Christine Boyer, Miriam Gusevich, Judith Henitz, Carlos Jimenez, and Enric Miralles . </P> <P> A proposal to adaptively reuse Castle Williams for a New Globe Theater was designed by architect Norman Foster . The non-profit organization worked in partnership with Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London to develop a proposal and seek backing for a cultural center and performance space in the Castle . With the completion of a National Park Service general management plan for Castle Williams and Fort Jay in 2009, it was determined that the proposed use of the Castle for the theater was not congruous with its historical significance . </P> <P> In a last - minute act while in office, President Bill Clinton designated 22 acres of the island, including the two great forts, as Governors Island National Monument on January 19, 2001 . In the next year on April 1, 2002, President George W. Bush, Governor Pataki, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the federal government would sell Governors Island to the people of New York for a nominal cost, and that the island would be used for public benefit . At the time of the transfer, deed restrictions were created that prohibit permanent housing and casinos on the island . On January 31, 2003, 150 acres of Governors Island were transferred to the people of New York, to be administered by a joint city - state agency, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC). The remaining 22 acres was legally reaffirmed by presidential proclamation on February 7, 2003 as the Governors Island National Monument, to be administered by the National Park Service . </P> <P> On January 19, 2001, Fort Jay and Castle Williams, two of the island's three historical fortifications, were proclaimed a National Monument . On January 31, 2003, 150 acres (61 ha) of the island was transferred to the State and City of New York for $1 . The remainder, a 22 acres (9 ha) portion, was transferred to the United States Department of the Interior as the Governors Island National Monument, administered by the National Park Service . The 150 - acre portion of the island not included in the National Monument is administered by The Trust for Governors Island, an entity of the City of New York and the successor of the joint city / state established redevelopment entity, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation . The transfer included deed restrictions which prohibit permanent housing or casinos on the island . </P>

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