Postcard Thursday: New York City Maps at the NYPL

If you haven't yet had the chance, check out the exhibition at the main branch of the New York Public Library, "Picturing the City: Illustrated Maps of NYC." The small show is being held in the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division on the first floor and draws from the library's impeccable collection of New York maps and illustrations.

Some, such as the famed Castello Plan, will be familiar to lovers of New York City history, but other maps -- including this fun illustration from 1946 -- are less well known.

The exhibition runs through July 16, 2018, and is open during regular library hours.

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LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP!

Join us for a walk around the Financial District in search of moments from the city's rich history that have faded from view. We'll search out forgotten marble markers, obscure statues of famous people (and famous statues of obscure people), explore the remnants of the Dutch village of New Amsterdam, and discover why New Yorkers a century ago were OBSESSED with the American Revolution. Whether you've traversed this neighborhood your whole life or are new to the area, this tour will likely show you places you've never seen before.

$25 per person

TO RESERVE: Send your name, the number of people in your group, and a contact number (in case we have to contact you on the day of the tour) to walknyc@gmail.com. We will send you a confirmation with details of where to meet within 24 hours.

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Read more about NYC history in

 

Footprints in New York: Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers

Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City

Postcard Thursday: The Ratzer Map

250 years ago, Lieutenant Bernard Ratzer set off across Manhattan and Brooklyn to make the first -- and still, in many ways, best -- comprehensive map of New York City.

A few months ago, James walked in Ratzer's footsteps, looking for traces of the city as it would have been two and half centuries ago. You can read the results in this piece he wrote for Curbed this week, "A Walking Tour of 1767 New York" (https://ny.curbed.com/2017/5/24/15681406/bernard-ratzer-map-new-york).

Speaking of walking tours, we'll be hosting a public tour on Sunday, June 25, so save the date. Details coming soon!

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Read more about NYC history in

 

Footprints in New York: Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers

Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City

Postcard Thursday: Historic Brooklyn Heights

Grace Court Alley, photographed by Edmund V. Gillon (courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York)

James had a story published yesterday on the history of Brooklyn Heights, which was designated a landmark district 50 years ago. Read the full story at Curbed: http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/03/18/how_brooklyn_heights_became_the_citys_first_historic_district.php.

(And, ICYMI, James also had an article on Monday on Curbed about Irish heritage in New York.)

Above and below are some of the archival photos (though not, technically, any postcards) that didn't make it into the final story. At the top that's Grace Court Alley, which is likely built over what was originally a Native American trail.

Map showing early Native American trails in Brooklyn (courtesy of the Brooklyn Historical Society)

The Low House on Pierrepont Place, photographed by Edmund V. Gillon (courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York)

View of Brooklyn Heights, 1838, courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York

One item we didn't have time to research is the grand, colonnaded building in the illustration above. Does anyone know what it was? If so, leave a comment.

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Explore more NYC history in

Footprints in New York: Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers

If you haven't had a chance to pick up a copy of Footprints yet,

you can order it from your favorite online retailers (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) or

from independent bookstores across the country.

And, of course, Inside the Apple is available at fine bookstores everywhere.