City on a Grid

Discover the fascinating history behind the iconic street grid of Manhattan, from its creation in 1811 by a trio of commissioners led by headstrong Founding Father Gouverneur Morris, to its lasting impact on the city we know today. Love it or hate it, the Manhattan grid is a defining feature of New York City and one of the most ambitious and controversial urban planning projects in Western civilization. Dive into the story of the grid and how it turned Mannahatta, the native "island of hills," into the rectilinear metropolis we know today.