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De Salvio-Quinn Bill

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Sometimes listed as Fort Clinton Bill.

Description

The De Salvio Quinn Bill was drafted in response to Robert Moses' attempted destruction of Castle Clinton in the 1940s. After being partially demolished during the construction of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, the Department of Interior expressed interest in making the site a national monument1. In February 1949, New York State legislators Lewis De Salvio and Elmer Quinn drafted the bill to convey the building to the Federal government for that purpose.

Key Dates in Preservation Activity

August 14, 1946 - Castle Clinton established a national monument.
April 29, 1949 - Governor Dewey signed the Bill.
October 1949 - Appropriation bill for Castle Clinton signed2.

In 1939, Robert Moses proposed a plan of parkways and bridges that would link Manhattan to Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Originally designed as a tunnel, Robert Moses felt a better solution would be to build a bridge from Battery Park in Lower Manhattan to Brooklyn3. The plan for a bridge was not supported by officials or the community and Moses had to settle for the tunnel. Moses, bitter from his loss with the proposed Brooklyn Battery Bridge, insisted that it was necessary to demolish Castle Clinton - a measure of revenge directed toward his opponents4. Moses would have been successful had it not been for the World War II, which halted the demolition.
After being threatened by Robert Moses' plans for the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Castle Clinton fueled a preservation battle. In 1946, the fort was named a national monument by President Harry S. Truman5. This measure, however, did not offer Castle Clinton any real protection and Moses urged on against the structure.
In 1949, upon Mayor William O'Dwyer's request, a New York state senator and assemblyman (Quinn and De Salvio) drafted a bill that would convey the building from New York City to the federal government so that Castle Clinton would become an official monument6. Shortly following this, news was made public that President Truman was in support of naming Castle Clinton a national monument7. With that encouragement, the bill continued through the New York State Legislature. A month after the bill had been drafted, it had successfully passed through the state senate and assembly and was sent to the governor8.
Governor Thomas Dewey signed the bill in April, saving Castle Clinton from Robert Moses' path of destruction9. Another success for Castle Clinton came in October 1949 when President Truman signed the bill for the necessary funds to restore the monument10.

  • 1. "Bill Revives Fight to Save Aquarium," New York Times. February 19, 1949.
  • 2. Wood, Anthony C. Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City's Landmarks. New York: Routledge, 2008.
  • 3. Caro, Robert A. The Power Broker: Robert Moses and The Fall of New York. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1974.
  • 4. Ibid.
  • 5. Wood, Anthony C. Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City's Landmarks. New York: Routledge, 2008.
  • 6. "Bill Revives Fight to Save Aquarium," New York Times. February 19, 1949.
  • 7. "Fort Clinton as a National Monument Discussed by Truman in a Letter to Delano," New York Times. February 24, 1949.
  • 8. "Fort Clinton Bill Sent to Governor," New York Times. March 23, 1949.
  • 9. "Fort Clinton Bill Signed by Dewey," New York Times. April 29, 1949.
  • 10. Wood, Anthony C. Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City's Landmarks. New York: Routledge, 2008.