Earlier this week, BHS staff toured BLDG 92, the newly opened history center and museum at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. BLDG 92 explores the fascinating and changing history of the Yard, from the Revolutionary War to the present day. In honor of BLDG 92, this post will showcase maps from the BHS collection that feature Wallabout Bay and the Yard.
The first map is a reproduction of a portion of Bernard Ratzer's "Plan of the city of New York..." (the Ratzer Map), which was surveyed in 1766 and 1767. This 20th century reproduction was created as an advertisement for the East Brooklyn Savings Bank, whose modern location is indicated on the map in red.
The second map was surveyed by Charles Loss in 1810 and shows the newly created Navy Yard. The map also features marshlands and areas bare at low water.
The next image is detail of the Navy Yard from Hooker's map of the village of Brooklyn in 1827. Note the development of the area as compared to the previous map, specifically, the construction of the Navy Hospital and the U.S. Powder Houses.
The following two images were taken from general maps of Brooklyn ca. 1900.
And finally, detail from a 1995 map of Brooklyn made by the Getty Oil Company. This map illustrates the Yard's transition from shipbuilding facility to industrial park. If you'd like to learn more about the Yard's history, visit BLDG 92!
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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