Wednesday, May 15, 2024 – REDISCOVERED TREASURES IN THE NYC ARCHIVES
WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2024
ISSUE #1236
FIND OF THE WEEK:
CENTRAL PARK
TOPOGRAPHICAL MAPS
NEW YORK MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES
Find of the Week: Central Park Topographical Maps
City records convey data, instructions, or information, generally without embellishment. But there are exceptions, and this Find of the Week is an outstanding example.
Topographical Maps in the Matter of Opening Central Park, New York, July 1855, Title Page. NYC Municipal Archives.
The image depicted is the title page of a ledger “Topographical Maps in the Matter of Opening Central Park, New York, July 1855.” Created by City surveyor Roswell Graves, the ledger contains 40 plates depicting the topographical features of the land that would become Central Park.
Topographical Maps in the Matter of Opening Central Park, New York, July 1855, sample plate. NYC Municipal Archives.
Beginning in 1807, surveyor John Randel, Jr., produced a map for the Commissioners Plan of 1811, which imposed a grid of streets and avenues creating uniform blocks from Houston Street north to 155th Street. By the time Graves surveyed the land for Central Park, the blocks had been divided into lots to facilitate development. Each plate of the Graves ledger displays three blocks in what would become the park—from 59th to 106th Streets, between Fifth and Eighth Avenues.
Topographical Maps in the Matter of Opening Central Park, New York, July 1855, sample plate. NYC Municipal Archives.
The ledger is currently being appraised in the Conservation Laboratory to determine treatment and re-housing measures that will ensure its long-term preservation. Look for future articles for updates and information about the provenance of this significant item.
Hi Judy —
The RIHS post today might have been about the gum thing, but that photo is about so much more — a real look back at a really interesting time.
**When there was cigarette & tobacco advertisements.
** When there was a meaningful ad from the New York Savings Bank reflecting some hope for the future. And whose building I think is still standing at Eighth Ave & W.14th Street.
** And those warning words on the door between subway cars.
Nicely done.
Nina
P.S. And those cane seats that snags your stockings.
CREDITS:
KENN COBB
NYC MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES BLOG
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