40°36′30″N 74°02′19″W / 40.60833°N 74.03861°W
| Fort Lafayette | |
|---|---|
| Hendricks Reef, offshore of New York City borough of Brooklyn, New York | |
 Fort Lafayette, seen from the Brooklyn shore with Denyse's Wharf to the left | |
  Fort Lafayette  Fort Lafayette  Fort Lafayette | |
| Coordinates | 40°36′30″N 74°02′19″W / 40.60833°N 74.03861°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1815-1822 |
| Built by | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| In use | 1822-1946 (ammunition storage after 1897) |
| Materials | sandstone, brick |
| Fate | demolished 1960 |
.jpg)
Fort Lafayette was an island coastal fortification in the Narrows of New York Harbor, built offshore from Fort Hamilton at the southern tip of what is now Bay Ridge in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The fort was built on a natural island known as Hendrick's Reef. Construction on the fort began during the War of 1812 and was completed in 1822.[1] The fort, originally named Fort Diamond after its shape, was renamed in 1823 to celebrate the Marquis de La Fayette, a hero of the American Revolution who would soon commence a grand tour of the United States.[2] During the American Civil War, the island fort became a prison, mostly for civilians viewed as disloyal to the Union; the fort became known as an "American Bastille." The fort was demolished in 1960 to make room for the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge; the Brooklyn-side bridge tower now occupies the fort's former foundation site.[3]
- ^ Weaver, pp. 140-141
- ^ Fort Lafayette at FortWiki.com
- ^ Roberts, pp. 563-564