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1956 Map of Brooklyn

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Brooklyn
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

Manhattan and the expansive boroughs of Kings County and Queens converge in this detailed mid-century survey, capturing the dense urban fabric during a period of massive infrastructure growth. The industrial waterfront is dominated by the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the U.S. Naval Reservation, while the interior reveals the vast green spaces of Greenwood Cemetery and Prospect Park. The map documents a complex landscape of neighborhoods from Williamsburg to Flatbush, connected by the emerging Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the extensive tracks of the Long Island RR.

Educational and religious institutions anchor the residential blocks, including New York University and Brooklyn College, alongside numerous parochial schools like St Jeromes Sch. The sheer concentration of cemeteries along the Queens border, such as The Evergreens Cemetery and Calvary Cemetery, illustrates the massive 19th-century burial grounds that still define the regional geography. This record serves as a vital resource for tracing family history and the evolution of the city's built environment.