NEW YORK CITY-In what’s termed potentially the largest adaptivereuse project of historic buildings in the nation, the Trust forGovernors Island has issued a request for proposals to redevelopmore than one million square feet of space at GovernorsIsland off Lower Manhattan.

The RFP calls for the adaptive reuse of more than 40historic buildings owned by the trust located inthe Governors Island Historic District that spans some 92 acres.Responses are due back by March 14, 2013 with a recommended sitevisit for firms interested in submitting an RFP to be held on Dec.19.

The Trust for Governors Island was created in 2010 and managesapproximately 150 acres of the island that was sold by the federalgovernment in 2003 to New York City and New York State. A total of22 acres is designated as the Governors Island National Monument,which is managed by the National Park Service. Prior to the sale,Governors Island was a military post and later used as a majorcommand headquarters for the US Army from 1794 until 1966. For 30years thereafter, it served as the Atlantic Area Command of the USCoast Guard. It now serves mostly as a seasonal touristdestination.