Relief is shown by hachures. Depths are shown by soundings. Shows wards, streets, wharves, buildings, and ferry routes with distances. Ward names are highlighted in pink.

Map made by Adriaen Block of his 1614 expedition to North America. It is the first map to show Long Island as an island. It is also the first appearance of the term New Netherland to describe the colony (17th century drawing).

Creator: W. WilliamsPublisher: D. Appleton & Co.

 The print contains 18 small views: High Bridge ; South Ferry ; City Hall ; Castle Garden ; Croton Reservoir ; Grace Church ; Institution for the Blind ; Post Office ; Merchants Exchange ; Astor-Place Opera-House ; Barnum's Museum & Astor Hose ; Halls of Justice (Tombs) ; Bowling Green ; Astor Library ; Custom House ; Odd Fellows Hall ; University ; Trinity Church.

The Castello Plan of New Amsterdam is a map of the early Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam, which later became New York City. The map was created in 1660 by Jacques Cortelyou, General Governor of Nieuw Amsterdam at that time, and is one of the earliest surviving maps of New Amsterdam. The map shows the layout of the settlement, including the locations of streets, buildings, and fortifications. It also includes illustrations of various landmarks and features of the city, such as the town hall, the church, and the governor's house. The Castello Plan is an important historical document as it provides a detailed record of the early development of New Amsterdam and is one of the few surviving primary sources from this period of the city's history. It is now housed in the New York Historical Society in New York City. It was discovered in 1900 at the Villa di Castello near Florence, Italy, where it had remained. Shown here is the version that was redrawn by John Wolcott Adams and Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes, and given its current name in 1916.

Chandler view of New Amsterdam in 1660: the present southern end of Manhattan Island, New York City

1st map to show all NY lots & buildings. The precursor of the fire maps was first published by Perris in 1852, and later, it was published by Sanborn and Bromley. This is the 2nd edition. The border has views of important city buildings.

The 'General Map of the City of New York' measuring 27 ft. x 31 ft., the largest of an American city every executed and completed in 6 months - was unveiled at the Paris Exposition of 1900 by Chief Engineer of NY City's Topographical Bureau Louis Aloys Risse.

The "Canal Map of the State of New York" from 1912 accompanied the State Engineer and Surveyor's report for that year. It shows the path of the new Barge Canal in relation to the existing Erie Canal and other routes in the state's canal system. The map also identifies abandoned canals and canals retained as feeders, and includes an inset with an elevation chart of the Barge Canal. It's a historical document that provides insight into the development and expansion of New York's canal system in the early 20th century.

The map of New York City and Manhattan, created by the commissioners appointed by the legislature and surveyor William Bridges, depicts ward boundaries, significant buildings, and the names of property owners. It is oriented with north towards the upper right and includes numbered references to various locations within the city. Often referred to as the "single most important document in New York City's development," the map was praised by the commission for its combination of "beauty, order and convenience" due to its use of the grid plan.

John Montresor’s map titled “A Plan of the City of New-York & its Environs” is a significant historical document created in 1766. This detailed map covers the area from Greenwich on the North or Hudsons River to Crown Point on the East or Sound River, showcasing the layout of streets, public buildings, docks, fortifications, and batteries. It also depicts the topography and strategic commanding grounds in and around the city.The map is notable for its scale, approximately 1:6,300, and includes an inset chart showing the entrance to New York from Sandy Hook, highlighting the best channels for sailing along with the banks and depths of water. It was dedicated to the Honorable Thomas Gage and provides a fascinating glimpse into the urban landscape of New York City during the mid-18th century, just before the American Revolution.Montresor was an engineer, and his work reflects the military and strategic importance of New York at the time, with relief shown by hachures and a clear indication of the city’s defenses. The map is part of the collection at the Library of Congress and is a valuable resource for historians and anyone interested in the early cartography of New York City.

Lower Manhattan has effectively been America’s town square since its discovery in 1524. Virtually every major event of local, national and global significance has played out in some way on this stage. Some have been forgotten and some have been transformative in our culture and many have fallen between. This is both a project in urban archeology and a way of describing the city over time in a printed map. The map captures the multiple and overlapping stories that are woven throughout our city’s life in a single document. It embraces America’s history as the museums, monuments and memorials that dot its streetscape do.   It highlights many of the concerns, events and places that the people who lived, fought, worked and visited here thought were important at their moment in time.   It takes another look at the issues that they were preoccupied with and how they solved them:  their politics, religion, social protest, health and safety, commerce, disasters and defense, scandals and crime, education, publications, art and culture, parades and celebrations, architecture and engineering. It encapsulates the events that shaped the physical and cultural landscape within the changing geography at the water’s edge. And it raises questions that need to be considered as we plan a more resilient city in our future.  

Sites after 1900 that are located along the tour route are overlaid on the current GIS map.

This map illustrates some of the historic places situated along the route of the Commons Tour overlaid on the Ratzer map of 1767. 

This map, made by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows the extent of flooding in New York after Superstorm Sandy.

The Mannahatta Project was an urban ecological study to imagine what Manhattan would be like if there were no settlers.