New York County topographic maps

In June 1856, Fernando Wood appointed a "consulting board" of seven people, headed by author Washington Irving, to inspire public confidence in the proposed development. Wood hired military engineer Egbert Ludovicus Viele as the park's chief engineer, tasking him with a topographical survey of the site. The…

Average elevation: 85 ft

The north and south wings respectively contain the women's and men's locker rooms and are nearly identical. Both have nine windows separated by eight brick pilasters. The stone capitals of the pilasters line up with the lintels of the windows. Ramps lead from the extreme ends of each wing. The ground slopes…

Average elevation: 98 ft

Average elevation: 16 ft

Average elevation: 16 ft

Inwood Hill Park is a 196 acres (79 ha) public park in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. On a high schist ridge that rises 200 feet (61 m) above the Hudson River from Dyckman Street to the northern tip of the island, Inwood…

Average elevation: 46 ft

The island is one of the southernmost locations in New York City where Fordham gneiss, a type of bedrock commonly found beneath the South Bronx, can be seen above ground. The gneiss outcropping was surrounded by dolomite, which was worn down by East River currents, creating the current island. The layer of…

Average elevation: 43 ft

Brooklyn Bridge Park spans 85 acres (34 ha) of the East River waterfront in the Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo neighborhoods of Brooklyn. The park is divided into eleven sections: Piers 1 through 6; Fulton Ferry Landing; Brooklyn Bridge Plaza; Empire Fulton Ferry; Main Street; and John Street. Each of these…

Average elevation: 30 ft

Dutch settlers occupied Manhattan in the early 17th century and called the area around Morningside Park Vredendal, meaning 'peaceful dale'. The lowlands to the east were called Flacken by the Dutch, and were later translated to "Flats" in English. The land to the east was not settled initially because of its…

Average elevation: 66 ft

Average elevation: 46 ft

Average elevation: 10 ft

Average elevation: 79 ft

Initially, Riverside Avenue had been planned to run in a straight line, which would have required a retaining wall and extensive fill. However, the area's difficult topography had come to the attention of the Manhattan park commissioners. In 1873, the commissioners selected Frederick Law Olmsted, a park…

Average elevation: 56 ft

The city's land has been altered substantially by human intervention, with considerable land reclamation along the waterfronts since Dutch colonial times; reclamation is most prominent in Lower Manhattan, with developments such as Battery Park City in the 1970s and 1980s. Some of the natural relief in…

Average elevation: 49 ft

In preparation for converting the land into a city park, Rockefeller hired the Olmsted Brothers firm, particularly Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., son of the designer of Central Park. Olmsted's design capitalized on the topography to reveal sweeping vistas of the Hudson River and the Palisades. Olmsted Jr. was…

Average elevation: 66 ft

Average elevation: 0 ft

Average elevation: 79 ft

By the mid-1790s, increased military tensions renewed an interest in fortifying New York Harbor, and a U.S. congressional committee had drawn a map of possible locations for the First System of fortifications to protect major American urban centers. Governors Island was one of the first locations where…

Average elevation: 3 ft

Average elevation: 16 ft

Average elevation: 20 ft

Average elevation: 72 ft