NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IN NYC PART 2

by Kevin Walsh

This is the regional road map of Greater New York that appeared in the July 1964 National Geographic. Where to begin about this gorgeous map? Well, they include landmarks in Brooklyn like the Schenck-Crooke House (see if you can find it) and the Vanderbilt Mausoleum in Staten Island. They also get Conduit Boulevard’s name right in Brooklyn, which no other map to this day gets right. Why? They don’t care if they do or not. NG did.

11 comments

Dan April 20, 2012 - 10:03 am

Map also shows the old route# for the Belt Parkway – NY27A.

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Alec April 20, 2012 - 11:09 am

Schenck-Crooke House near the end of Conduit Blvd.

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Kevin Walsh April 21, 2012 - 10:44 pm

No. The map shows it correctly on Jamaica Avenue.

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Steve April 20, 2012 - 12:24 pm

How do current maps spell Conduit Blvd, if not the correct way? I never knew this was an issue!

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Kevin Walsh April 21, 2012 - 10:44 pm

They leave it blank or call it North and South Conduit Avenue. It’s only N&S Conduit Avenue in Queens.

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John Telesca April 20, 2012 - 10:39 pm

There is also the obsolete area South Brooklyn, in the north east of the current borough boundries, of course

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anja April 22, 2012 - 8:18 pm

b/c NG is the bomb and the specialize in factoids.

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Bruce Rubenstein April 23, 2012 - 5:50 am

The church at the intersection of Flatbush Ave. & Church Ave. is identified on the the map as “Reformed Protestant Church”. This is the only time I’ve seen it as anything other than the “Dutch Reformed Church”. This church, along with the ones in Flatlands. New Utrecht and (I think) Gravesend were built at the direction of Peter Minuet in the 1630’s.

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Stephanie April 26, 2012 - 2:27 pm

You gotta love the Midget Squadron of Jamaica Bay!

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Kevin Walsh April 26, 2012 - 10:25 pm

Led by Billy Barty.

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somebody April 29, 2012 - 6:47 pm

Why is Conduit Avenue/ Boulevard called North & South in Brooklyn and Queens? Even though the Bushwick Expressway wasn’t built between the two directions of the avenue/boulevard, few other service roads have North and South, or West and East, name splits for the different placements of the roads relative to the highway

Also, I noticed that the Jackie Robinson Parkway was called the Interborough Parkway back in the 60s. But then again he wasn’t the revered baseball legend he is today at that time.

Finally, the Schenck-Crooke House is at Highland Park near Jamaica Avenue, near the intersection of Highland Boulevard and Vermont Place.

Good job on the website, Kevin, I like the Forgotten NY website and the Forgotten NY tours.

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