By Brian J Pape, AIA, LEED-AP
Last month’s WestView News articles about NYC’s Gansevoort Market Waterfront and the 1811 Street Grid stirred several responses from readers, who sent their map copies or suggestions of archives of maps, for which we are grateful.
I was asked to provide a follow-up with maps (of which there are many) showing some of the changes to our waterfront neighborhood. While focusing on the waterfront streets, comparing these timely maps gives an impression of the monumental developments that have taken place here and how many street names would be unfamiliar to us today because they were renamed over the years.
To do justice to the maps and to the readers, we present one map at a time, so that the larger size is more legible. Each map captures a moment in the development of Manhattan. Reader comments are always appreciated.
Brian J. Pape is a LEED-AP “green” architect consulting in private practice, serves on the Manhattan District 2 Community Board, is co-chair of the American Institute of Architects NY Design for Aging Committee, and is a journalist who writes about architecture.
1865: This map by Egbert L. Viele, for the Citizens Association, “by an Act of Congress in the year 1865,” was suggested by Aldo Brandino and is found at https://www.manhattanbp.nyc.gov. It shows a color code for “Marsh” in dark green,” “Made Land” in light brown, and “Meadow” in light green; dark blue is water, including the Collect Pond downtown. Sewers also get drawn out on the streets (not all streets have them). The amount of “Made Land” (infilled shoreline) is enormous. Greenwich Street follows the shoreline from Barclay Street up to Gansevoort Street in our area; there is no Gansevoort Peninsula, as that is all landfill west of what would be Washington Street. This map precedes the Brooklyn Bridge construction which began in 1870. Map Credit: https://www.manhattanbp.nyc.gov
