Titled “Central Park” and dated 1947, this U.S. Geological Survey topographical map presents Manhattan’s great urban landscape at a revealing postwar moment. At a scale of 1:24,000, it focuses on Central Park and its surrounding neighborhoods, including the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and the gridded avenues and cross streets that define northern Manhattan. The map belongs to the USGS tradition of precise civic and environmental observation: water is rendered in blue, built-up land and open ground are clearly differentiated, and contour lines trace subtle changes in elevation. In a city often imagined vertically through towers and skylines, this map restores attention to the ground itself—the ridges, slopes, waterways, parklands, and engineered terrain beneath New York’s urban fabric.

The mapmaker, the United States Geological Survey, was established in 1879 to study and map the nation’s lands, resources, and natural hazards. By the mid-twentieth century, its topographic quadrangles had become indispensable tools for planners, engineers, scientists, and public agencies, combining field survey, standardized symbology, and meticulous drafting. This 1947 Central Park sheet reflects that institutional clarity: it is neither a tourist view nor a decorative city plan, but a scientific portrait of Manhattan’s terrain and infrastructure. Yet its restraint is part of its appeal. The USGS style reveals New York as a landscape shaped by geology, water, and human design, with the formality of Fifth Avenue, Broadway, Park Avenue, and Riverside Park set against the softer, contoured interior of Central Park.

Central Park is the map’s natural and symbolic center, shown not simply as a green void within the city, but as a varied topographical composition. Contour lines pick out the park’s subtle hills, hollows, and rocky rises, reminding the viewer that Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux’s famous landscape design worked with, reshaped, and dramatized Manhattan’s terrain. The Lake, the Ramble, and Belvedere Castle’s high ground all gain geographic meaning through the map’s relief detail. Even familiar places acquire a new character when viewed topographically: meadows, paths, waters, and wooded passages become part of a carefully orchestrated physical landscape. The area later associated with Strawberry Fields lies within this western side of the park, here captured before its later commemorative identity.

Around the park, the map records the great urban frame of Manhattan. To the east, the Upper East Side stretches toward the East River, its avenues and blocks suggesting density, order, and established metropolitan life. To the west, the Upper West Side descends toward Riverside Park and the Hudson River, where the city’s edge opens to a broad watery corridor. Central Park South, Fifth Avenue, Broadway, and Park Avenue anchor the map in the language of New York prestige and movement, while smaller streets and marked buildings evoke the everyday workings of the city. The Hudson, East, and Harlem Rivers define Manhattan as an island, giving the map a strong geographical logic beneath the apparent complexity of its streets.

Created just after the Second World War, the map captures Manhattan during a period of transition, before many later waves of redevelopment, transportation change, and urban renewal altered the city’s fabric. In 1947, New York stood at the height of its global influence, a financial, cultural, and diplomatic capital emerging into the modern postwar era. This sheet preserves the balance between dense urban development and monumental public landscape, showing Central Park as both refuge and infrastructure—an essential open space embedded within one of the world’s most intensively built environments. Its combination of scientific accuracy and historical atmosphere makes it a compelling document of mid-century Manhattan, where rivers, ridgelines, avenues, and parklands together tell the story of the city’s enduring form.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Central Park
• Harlem River
• East River
• Hudson River
• Upper East Side
• Upper West Side
• Manhattan
• Fifth Avenue
• Central Park South
• Riverside Park
• The Lake
• The Ramble
• Strawberry Fields
• Belvedere Castle
• Broadway
• Park Avenue
• Landmarks and buildings marked in the vicinity of Central Park

Historical context & cartographic details

• Titled “Central Park”
• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
• Dated 1947
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map
• The USGS is a scientific agency of the U.S. government, established in 1879, focused on mapping natural resources and natural hazards.
• Uses a classic USGS topographical color scheme, with water bodies shown in blue and land shaded to indicate elevation.
• Includes contour lines to show terrain changes, especially within Central Park.
• Water features are prominently marked, including rivers and lakes.
• Captures Manhattan in the post-WWII period, showing a blend of urban development and natural spaces.
• Provides insight into infrastructure, urbanization, and how the area has changed over time.

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.