Governors Island building gets a makeover with new dining options, event space

The latest news from Governors Island is sure to please anyone who loves food, history and a fun ferry ride through New York Harbor.

The Trust for Governors Island announced on Friday a major overhaul of its historic Building 140 starting this winter to feature year-round food options, event space and scenic views for the thousands of visitors it gets each year. 

“We will be operating three separate entities on the same half-acre parcel of land,” David Hitchner, managing director of Taco Vista, which has operated on the island since 2018, said.

Foodies with taste buds of many preferences will enjoy a variety of fare from the three future venues, two of which are new to the island. 

It will feature Priscilla’s, a year-round café serving coffee, pastries and light lunch fare on a daily basis, along with “carefully crafted cocktails,” local beers and small-production wines with a coastal Mediterranean-inspired menu. The Riverline will be an indoor-outdoor full-service restaurant that will have the ability to host special events.

Taco Vista, the island’s mainstay food vendor, will get “reimagined” but continue to serve family friendly Mexican fare and drinks. 

Built in the mid-1800s, the 10,000-square-foot Building 140, which currently operates as an administrative building on the island, is set on a scenic waterfront that will provide expansive views for diners and visitors.

“We’ll be doing a full gut renovation, removing all interior divisions. It’s a magnificent building in that it’s a brick structure with these 150-year-old interior trusses that provide support for the building, so there’s really no interior support. So we are looking to accentuate that, clear it all out.”

Hitcher and his team will be putting in a commissary kitchen that will service all three food and beverage operations and a large event space for wedding, corporate events and similar occasions. 

Building 140 has had many uses over the years during Governors Island’s history as a U.S. Army and Coast Guard base. The design team, led by SHoP Architects, will preserve and restore the historical detail of the building’s exterior, while creating new ADA accessibility and improving the adjacent waterfront landscapes. 

According to Trust representatives, the building will be one of the first adaptive reuse projects on Governors Island with 100% electric operations, including an electrified commercial kitchen, and will include several sustainability and resiliency improvements with the potential for generating solar power on the roof.

Renovation is expected to cost around $10 million, with about 10% of that funding coming from the city. The project is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025.

The makeover builds upon the Trust’s recent milestone move of opening the island to the public year-round. 

“Since opening to the public year-round in 2021, Governors Island has grown into a destination for all seasons for nearly one million visitors each year,” Clare Newman, president and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island, said. “We are excited to announce this new, expanded vision from the Taco Vista team that will increase delicious, affordable year-round food offerings for visitors while restoring one of Governors Island’s most treasured historic structures at Soissons Landing.” 

New Yorkers and visitors can get to Governors Island by ferry in Lower Manhattan. Roundtrip tickets are $5; seniors, children ages 12 and younger, and military service members are free.