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Mapping New York's Shoreline, 1609-2009

This September the New York Public Library will bring you back to school with some topographical history lessons. They're celebrating the New York Harbor Quadricentennial with an extensive exhibit featuring rarely seen maps, atlases and other treasures from their own personal collection. The exhibit is titled Mapping New York’s Shoreline, 1609-2009, and opens on September 25th... but here's a sneak peek.

Another interesting note, they tell us that there will be an added feature which includes "animation superimposing our old maps with the contemporary landscape on Google Earth. Basically, it allows layers of information to be available simultaneously on a time-enabled scale. For example, you can see an old lower Manhattan fire insurance map underneath contemporary 3-D buildings, showing which historic buildings still exist and which have been razed." Amazing! And probably a little terrifying.

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Comments [rss]

  • Kevin Walsh

    Then: 32,590 factories, 825,056 workers



    Today: bankers, lawyers, overdevelopers, hipsters





    www.forgotten-ny.com

  • tsol

    Well, the factories were making OBSCENE profits and needed to have their taxes raised and their industries regulated by the geniuses in city council and Albany.

  • thefacts

    Actually, the capitalists could make even more obscene profits by moving overseas and exploiting non-unionized, exploitable, uneducated people.

  • thefacts

    Fascinating! Do try to post again when the exhibit opens.

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