Fort Monroe, located in the City of Hampton, closed as an active Army facility in 2011 as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 decision.  In determining the future use of Fort Monroe, Daily Press and Virginian Pilot surveys have shown that more than 80% of several thousand who responded were in favor of the establishment of a Fort Monroe National Park.  During the written comment period under the Army’s Section 106 process by the National Historic Preservation Act, almost all of the 425 respondents specified that all 565 acres of Fort Monroe be under the jurisdiction of a National Park.

On November 1, 2011, President Obama proclaimed Fort Monroe as a National Monument, under the Antiquities Act, and the fort is now protected by two entities: The National Park Service and the Fort Monroe Authority.

Following the model of the Presidio in San Francisco, Fort Monroe can be self-sustaining and can become a “Grand Public Place,” known nationally and internationally, forming a fourth side to the Virginia Triangle, to become Virginia’s Historic Quadrangle.  The Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park received the Citizen of the Year for 2011 from the Daily Press for their ongoing work to protect Fort Monroe.  Their website: http://fortmonroecitizens.org/.

Fort Monroe is contiguous to Buckroe and White Marsh, with vital waterfront that needs to be preserved.  Fort Monroe is rich in history, but also in green space, a place for recreation and wildlife protection.  

The York River Group of the Sierra Club supports the protection of Fort Monroe and we continue to have special programs about the park to monitor the progress of its preservation.