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For the past four hundred years, the island that so many New Yorkers call home has been changed by the people who lived there. Manhattan is now a super metropolis with 8 million inhabitants, but take a look at the earliest known map of New Amsterdam, as it was then called, and you’ll see a very different island.
Taking a look at the many maps of Manhattan created throughout the years can show you how the foundations were laid for what the city is today.
Making use of information found in the archives of the New York Public Library and the Library of Congress, the animation and series of maps below will allow you to watch Manhattan grow over 400 years.
1. Manhattan in the year 1609
During this time, Manhattan, or “Mannahatta,” as it was known, was home to the Lenape and other Native American groups.
The Lenape named their island home “Mannahatta,” which means “Island of Many Hills.”
The map shows the wild hills, valleys, forests and fields that were home to bears, wolves and all manner of birds.
The beaches, springs, ponds and streams provided shelter for salamanders, porpoises and whales.
2. Manhattan in the year 1660
This map was based on the earliest known map of New Amsterdam, which dates back to 1660.
During this time, the island was a “thinly populated, uncomfortable and muddy place.”
In fact everything north of the Canal was either wild or farmland. When the English took over in 1664 they renamed the city New York.
3. Manhattan in the year 1755
“The streets do not run straight as those in Philadelphia and have sometimes considerable bendings; however they are very spacious and well-built.”
That’s how Swedish botanist Pehr Kalm described the city In 1749.
At this time there was a log palicase running across the city.
It was erected in 1745 as part of The French and American Indian Wars.
4. Manhattan in the year 1776
This map shows New York City as it was just prior to the American Revolution.
North of Lower Manhattan you can see fields, large estates and gardens that were connected to the city by Bowery Road running up the middle of the island and the Road to Greenwich along the Hudson.
Greenwich was then still a seperate village and as of 1766 the street system went as far as north as what is Soho today.
5. Manhattan in the year 1811
The city’s famous street grid system was created in 1811.
The Plan paid no mind to existing properties; farms, estate houses and even hospitals were divided or demolished to make room for the new streets.
It‘s been estimated that two out of every five structures were “mapped over.” Two years later in 1813 First Avenue opened.
6. Manhattan in the year 1834
This map shows a city in the midst of explosive growth, both in terms of population and land development.
Demand for land was growing so rapidly that the city even began selling “water lots” along the shore, where daring entrepreneurs could create their own plots.
In the year of 1834, 21st Street in Chelsea opened and the street numbers began reaching the high 30s.
7. Manhattan in the year 1867
By the beginning of the 19th Century, the Manhattan street plan was complete.
We can now see the different ward areas and the city as we now know it is really emerging.
57th Street in Midtown opened in 1844 and by 1859 one of the city‘s, if not the world‘s most beloved attractions, Central Park opened for public use.
Two years after this map, construction on the Brooklyn Bridge began.
8. Manhattan in the year 1943
On the way to 1943 some of the city‘s most famous buildings were built.
In 1891 Carnegie Hall opened, in 1910 construction of the Pennsylvania Station began and in 1923 Yankee Stadium opened.
This period of construction also saw some of the city‘s most iconic skyscrapers spring up; the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and 30 Rockefeller Plaza were all built by the time of this map.
9. Manhattan in the year 1964
By 1964 the city becomes recognizable to the modern viewer.
In the 21 years since the previous map, the building continued apace and some of the city‘s most visited cultural institutions opened.
In 1959 the Guggenheim Museum opened its doors, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts opened in 1962 and Madison Square Garden opened in 1968.
In 1970, construction began on the World Trade Center.
10. Manhattan in the year 2019
Here we are in the modern day. Since the previous map a lot more has changed.
At the risk of repeating ourselves, yes you guessed it, more construction has taken place.
In 1979, the Javits Convention Center was started, the High Line opened in 2009 and the city has become even more crowded with both buildings and people.
These maps show how much has changed on this island since the 1600s. From wild lands to bustling metropolis. What do you think it will look like in another 100 years?
Methodology
To create these maps our researchers started by searching through various archives, including the New York Public Library and the Library of Congress, for maps that showed all or significant portions of Manhattan. They then selected maps to represent each century in order to show the changes throughout time.
Once a series of maps were chosen, they went on to research each one individually to understand the most significant locations and changes that occurred over the years in between.
There are limited maps from Manhattan’s early history around, so our researchers chose the most detailed and complete from the maps that were available. They chose maps that showed as much data as possible in relation to the whole island, opposed to just one section of the island.
They also took into account historical importance. For example, they included the first map of Manhattan, as well as the earliest map that showed the plan for the street grid system.
Sources
Adams, J.W. and Phelps, I.N. (1916) Redraft of the Castello Plan New Amsterdam in 1660. nyhistory.org
Bridges, W. and Maverick, P. (1811) Map of the city of New York and island of Manhattan, as laid out by the commissioners appointed by the legislature, April 3d, 1807. loc.gov
Brooklyn Historical Society. Exploring Pre-Revolutionary New York: The Ratzer Map.http://brooklynhistory.org
Burr, D. H., Stiles, S., Colton, J.H. (1834) City of New-York. loc.gov
Codex99. The Streets of New York Part I. codex99.com
Codex99. The Streets of New York Part II. codex99.com
Dalley, J. (2013) When Wall Street Was a Wall: A 1660 Map of Manhattan. ny.curbed.com
Diversified Map Corp (1964) Metropolitan map of New York City. loc.gov
Dripps, Matthew. (1867) Map of New York and vicinity. loc.gov
Duyckinck, G. and Maerschalck, F.W. (1755) The Maerschalk Map. loc.gov
Ephemeral New York. (2014) A colonial-era plan to build “Delancey’s Square.”ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com
Esri and Geiling, N. (2013) This Interactive Map Compares the New York City of 1836 to Today. smithsonianmag.com
Jaffe, Eric. (2012) Welcome to 1940s New York. citylab.com
Lamb, J.M. and Harrison, B. History of the City of New York: Its Origin Rise, and Progress Volume II. A.S. Barnes & Co.
Longworth, David. (1828) Longworth’s Explanatory Map and Plan. digitalcollections.nypl.org
Nevlus, J. (2017) A walking tour of 1767 New York: In the footsteps of the 250-year-old Ratzer Map. ny.curbed.com
NYC & Company (2019) Official Visitors Map Winter 2019. nycgo.com
Ratzer, Bernard. (1776) The Ratzer Map. loc.gov
Shepard, C. (2012) The Speculation Studio: Governors Island, The Sixth Borough? urbanomnibus.net
The CUNY Graduate Center. Welcome to 1940s New York. 1940snewyork.com
The Welikia Project. Mannahatta Map. welikia.org
Viele, E.L. and Mayer, F. (1865) Topographical map of the City of New York : showing original water courses and made land. loc.gov
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