13. Columbia College Used to be Downtown

Commissioner's Plan 1811-Map-NYC-Library of Congress-020

This map shows some of the most important spots in downtown New York City, including City Hall (56) and Trinity Church (3). #62 is Columbia College, which was founded in 1754 as King’s College before the revolution. It was renamed Columbia College in 1784 and the school moved in 1857 to Madison Avenue and in 1897 to Morningside Heights.

Commissioner's Plan 1811-Map-NYC-Library of Congress-004

Next, read about the Top 10 Secrets of Grand Central Terminal.

The author @untappedmich gingerly unfolded these maps at the Library of Congress on Monday, hopefully keeping it for future generations to take a peek. You can see a detailed scan on the Library of Congress website.