1900 Map of Harlem

About this map

Hudson River views and the expanding urban footprint of the northern boroughs define this turn-of-the-century study. The landscape is a complex network of transit and civil engineering, featuring the Croton Aqueduct and New Aqueduct snaking toward Manhattan alongside the Jerome Park Reservoir. In the Bronx and Westchester, massive greenspaces like Van Cortlandt Park and Pelham Bay Park are already established, providing a counterpoint to the dense rail corridors of the New York and Harlem Railroad and the New York Central and Hudson River RR. Across the river in New Jersey, the Palisades rise sharply above settlements like Fort Lee and Edgewater. Waterways are central to the area's identity, from the treacherous waters of Hell Gate to the maritime activity around City Island and Throgs Neck, where Fort Schuyler stands guard over the entrance to the East River.