Map of the City ofNew York 1853

Attractive antique map ofManhattan before the establishment of Central Park, published in D.T.Valentine's Manual of the Corporation of New York for 1853. This map wasprinted on light-weight paper washed with a blue tint, and hand colored tohighlight wards (yellow boundary lines, small black numbers), and firedistricts (red lines with larger, red numbers), but also shows corporate andprivate piers, the street grid (gray areas indicate buildings), parks, etc. Thelayout splits Manhattan in two, with the populous area south of 57th Street inthe larger map below, and the northern section, largely unbuilt, in a smallerinset above it.

Much of the areanorth of 51st street had not been built at all (white rectangles), and theroads in the northern portion were simply a plan which would be modified intime. The creation of Central Park was approved in 1853, and construction beganin 1857; existing structures, including a majority-Black settlement namedSeneca Village, were seized through eminent domain and razed. The park's firstareas were opened to the public in late 1858.

Condition: Fair+. Theblue tint has faded and browned in spots, especially around the edges and alongfolds, with some slight wrinkling, and some chipping along the bottom margin. Along (7-8 inch) tear at the stub that traverses the left side of the northernpart of the island was well repaired, and while it is visible if you lookcarefully, it does not detract from the overall attractiveness of the map.

Size: 17.25 x 21.50inches

Will ship foldedvia USPS Media Mail for free.