Castle Williams National Monument,
Governor’s Island, NY

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PROJECT DETAILS

When the National Parks Service (NPS) U.S. Department of the interior needed someone to provide scaffold & masonry support for the $3.4 million renovation of the 200 year old Castle Williams on Governor’s Island, NY, they turned to Pinnacle Scaffold.

The 19th century landmark is a circular casemated work built of red sandstone between 1807 and 1811. It was created to protect New York Harbor from British interference with American shipping. The castle was remodeled as a prison during the civil war and later served as a military prison for the US Army. In 1969 the coastguard converted the castle into a community center which included meeting rooms, a day care facility and even a storage unit.

Coinciding with the castle’s 200 year anniversary, the project will enable the NPS to open part of the castle’s interior to the public, for the first time, as well as allow for access to the top of the fort. Visitors will enjoy the sweeping views of New York Harbor and come to understand the significance of this castle in the nation’s history.

The challenge for PSC was to carefully erect a full casement of scaffold without damaging any of the delicate sandstone while also allowing park visitors constant access to all of the surrounding buildings and areas. System scaffold was used in conjunction with traditional frame scaffold to build a secure and workable platform around the entire circular structure.