New Yorkers could soon have a Shakespeare’s Globe of their own, if plans to transform a derelict fortress off the coast of Manhattan are successful.

London-based architects Foster and Partners have teamed up with American consultant Barbara Römer to design the 1,200-capacity New Globe Theatre on Governors Island in NY Harbour.

The 172-acre island has been closed to the public for more than 200 years and is home to a historic castle, formerly used to deter the British armed forces during the War of Independence.

David Nelson, Foster and Partners’ deputy chair, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to breath new life and activity into the long neglected island through culture, whilst preserving its unique historic heritage.”

Plans include housing the theatre in the early nineteenth-century Castle Williams. The central auditoriums proportions will be identical to those of London’s Globe with the capacity divided in to 800 seating and 400 standing tickets.

Nelson said: “The auditorium will give the audience and performers the intimate and intense experience of a Shakespearean theatre but with the best of modern acoustics and facilities.”

The theatre will be within a five-minute ferry ride from the Manhattan coast and will boast bookshop, bars, guest amenities, and exhibition spaces which focus on the history of the castle.