This website documents the creation of Manhattan’s signature grid, which set a remarkably flexible framework for growth as a town of 100,000 in 1811 became today’s world city of 1.8 million people (in Manhattan only). Balancing order and freedom, uniformity and individuality, the grid continues to serve as a model of urban planning in the 21st century.
Before
The Grid
The
1811 Plan
BUILDING
THE GRID
19TH-CENTURY
DEVELOPMENT
20th century–
Now
living on
the grid
other
Grids
About
Drawing from the exhibition The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan 1811-2011, which was on view at the Museum of the City of New York from December 6, 2011-April 15, 2012, the website adds new material that allows visitors to explore extraordinary documents of New York City history, including interactive versions of the 1811 Plan and John Randel’s comprehensive survey maps of the island.
The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1811-2011 was presented at the Museum in cooperation with the New York Public Library and The Architectural League of New York and was sponsored by the Office of the Manhattan Borough President. To view a list of supporters for the 2011-12 presentation of The Greatest Grid at the Museum of the City of New York, please click here. The exhibition was curated by Hilary Ballon and designed by Studio Joseph, with graphics by Thumb.
The exhibition was accompanied by a book of the same title edited by Hilary Ballon, co-published by Columbia University Press and the Museum of the City of New York (2011), and supported by Furthermore: A Program of the J.M. Kaplan Fund. To purchase the book, please visit the Museum shop.
This website was made possible by a grant from the Dyson Foundation
and the generous support of Ronay and Richard Menschel.
Additional support is provided by:
The General Contractors Association of New York
Weidlinger Associates
Curator and editor
Hilary Ballon
Curatorial Associate
Sara K. Spink
Website Design
MediaCombo: Robin White Owen
Lara Kohl, Clara Boesch, Ellen Devigon-Zhao
Interactive Maps: Anandaroop Roy
Unless otherwise indicated, Hilary Ballon is the author of the texts.
Other authors are identified by their initials.
KA Kate Ascher
MH Marguerite Holloway
BH Bill Hubbard Jr.
WEJ Wendy Evans Joseph
MK Matthew Knutzen
GK Gerard Koeppel
JMS Joanna Merwood-Salisbury
MM Michael Miscione
MP Max Page
AR Andrea Renner
JR Jeffrey Ribeiro
RR Reuben Rose-Redwood
ES Eric Sanderson
CS Caleb Smith
SS Sara K. Spink
CW Carol Willis
CY Carolyn Yerkes
All reasonable attempts have been made to identify owners of copyright. No part of this website
may be republished or reproduced without the permission of the City Museum and applicable
copyright owners.
© 2015 Museum of the City of New York all rights reserved
