1892 Cook Plat Map of Mosholu / North Riverdale, Bronx, New York

Die Bronx - AN early German-American neighborhood in New York.

This is a rare 1892 promotional real estate map of the Mosholu neighborhood in North Riverdale in the Bronx, New York City, prepared by Frederick S. Cook for the property developers Sheridan and Seagrave. This map not only represents an important moment in the development of the Bronx, but also in the transformation of German-American life in New York City.

A Closer Look

The map, oriented towards the south-southwest, covers the Sheridan and Seagrave Tract of the Bronx, what became the Mosholu neighborhood in the northern part of Riverdale, the northwestern-most part of the Bronx and New York City before crossing into Westchester County. As this map highlights, the area offered the considerable benefit of being sandwiched between the Hudson River and Van Cortlandt Park, with scenic views and promenades on either side. Additionally, at this time, both sides of the neighborhood were served by railroads reaching into Manhattan and connecting to points northward (discussed more below). Streets are labeled, most of which have changed names and even their layout somewhat from the projected grid seen here, but Mosholu Ave. and Broadway remain, giving a structure to the neighborhood, while Sylvan and Valles Ave. also retain their name today.

Blocks and lots are numbered with their dimensions noted, with the location of planned water and gas lines also recorded. Buildings shaded diagonally with black lines are likely preexisting structures. Promotional text at the bottom appears in both English and German, giving a clear sense of the intended audience. The phrase 'Restricted against Nuisance' is vague but might be a reference to restrictive racial covenants (the German text says 'Gegen Unfug jeder Art gesetzlich geschützt!' meaning 'Legally protected against mischief of any kind!').

This map is dated 1892, but much of the neighborhood seen here was not developed until the early 20th century. The cause for the delay was likely the Panic of 1893, which caused an economic depression and hit proposed real estate developments like the Sheridan and Seagrave Tract particularly hard.

Die Bronx

This map not only represents an important moment in the development of the Bronx, but also in the transformation of German-American life in New York City. In the 19th century, when Germans were among the largest immigrant groups to New York City, several German neighborhoods sprang up in Manhattan, the largest being 'Kleindeutschland' in the Lower East Side. As time passed and Germans became wealthier, they sought to move out of the tenements to greener pastures, an endeavor greatly aided by the extension of elevated trains to the northernmost reaches of Manhattan, especially Ninth Avenue Elevated Line. While a German working-class neighborhood replete with breweries, biergartens, and social-gymnastics halls (Turnvereine) emerged in the South Bronx around Third Ave., Riverdale instead became home to wealthier professionals and businessmen, including German-Americans, who sought to escape the city's congestion. Most of this northwestern corner of the Bronx was laid out in the years just before this map's publication (Van Cortlandt Park opened in 1888) by Frederick Law Olmsted and affiliated planners.

The 'Old Put' Railroad

While the railroad line and station at right are easily recognizable as part of the Hudson River Line (today part of the MTA's Metro-North service), the station and line at left running through Van Cortlandt Park no longer exist. They were part of the New York and Putnam Railroad, affectionately known by locals as the 'Old Put,' connecting the Bronx with Brewster, in Putnam County, New York. Plans for such a line had long been discussed, and a charter was acquired in 1869, with the idea being that such a line could connect the growing residential areas of the Bronx with both Manhattan and wider rail networks stretching throughout New England. It was even considered to be a potential rival to the New York Central, offering another route northwards out of the city.

Construction was delayed by the Panic of 1873 and a series of mergers and reorganizations, but the line was eventually constructed and opened in 1881 as the New York, Westchester and Putnam Railway, which was immediately leased to (and several years later merged with) the New York City and Northern Railroad, which it identified as here. By 1894, the line was again reorganized as the New York and Putnam Rail Road Company by J. P. Morgan, who leased it to the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, after which it eventually became the Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad by 1913.

The 'Old Put' suffered from a major and ultimately fatal flaw in that it did not offer a direct connection with Midtown or Lower Manhattan but instead famously terminated at 155th Street in Manhattan, where passengers had to transfer to the Ninth Avenue Elevated train. Despite this drawback, the line did have the advantage of offering passengers a scenic ride that matched the suburban ambitions of many commuters. Passengers traveling northwards started by crossing the Putnam Bridge (near today's Yankee Stadium), then alongside hills adjacent to the Kingsbridge and University Heights neighborhoods, before taking a lovely route through Van Cortlandt Park. Although service along the line ended in 1958 and it was soon thereafter demolished, traces of it can still be seen, namely the Old Putnam Trail / Putnam Greenway running through Van Cortlandt Park along the old rail bed as well as 13 stone pillars seemingly randomly placed in the park - test pillars built by the New York Central to see how the area's weather conditions would affect different types of stone before selecting one with which to build Grand Central Terminal.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by surveyor Frederick S. Cook and was printed by Rode and Brand Lithographers in November 1892. We note a single cataloged example, which is part of the collection at the New York Public Library.

Cartographers

Frederick Scott Cook (April 1855 - December 28, 1935) was a surveyor and civil engineer active in New York City in the late 19th century. He is best known for serving as the chief engineer for the Croton Aqueduct Commission and designing the Croton Aqueduct Gate House at 135th St. Cook was born in Caldwell, New Jersey and moved between New Jersey and Pennsylvania as a child. By the late 1870s, he was working as a civil engineer based in Jersey City. An obituary for Cook notes that he helped design the elevated railways of Manhattan around this time. His earliest cataloged works are maps dating from 1882 done for the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway and the New York, Ontario and Western Railway. Soon afterwards, he began his work for the Croton Aqueduct. Afterwards, he primarily produced maps and diagrams relating to the Bronx, including more work related to aqueducts and water supply as well as promotional maps for various real estate developments. From around 1890, he was based in Yonkers, a suitable location for surveying the marching growth of New York City towards Westchester County. In 1881, Cook married Josephine Steed Mervin and with her had four daughters. While in Yonkers, Cook was deeply involved in civic life, helping establish the local Chamber of Commerce and being a volunteer firefighter. Late in his life, Cook returned to New Jersey, settling in Ashbury Park. In addition to his work on the Croton Aqueduct, Cook also was a division engineer for the Jerome Park Reservoir and the Croton Falls Dam, leaving a significant legacy for the water supply systems of the Bronx and New York City as a whole.   Further Details...

Rode and Brand Lithographers (c. 1879 - 1950) was a New York City-based printing firm known for producing maps, advertising, posters, and commercial lithography. The firm was founded by Charles Brand and Edward F. Rode sometime in the mid-late 1870s. Their earliest cataloged work is the 1879 Matthew Dripps Map of Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay and subsequent maps generally dealt with new real estate developments in Upper Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. The firm produced several stunning chromolithographic propaganda posters during the First World War, and continued to operate in some fashion until at least 1950, after which it was acquired by Stecher-Traung. Despite the firm's origins as an operation between partners, in the 20th century, the Rode family was the primary driving force, from founder Edward F. Rode to sons Raymond Frederick Rode and Alfred B. Rode, whose wife Christine C. Rode, was involved in the operation of the company. Initially based at 10 Barclay St., the firm was afterwards for many years located at 200 William St. in Lower Manhattan. Alfred B. Rode served as president and treasurer of the National Association of Employing Lithographers, an important trade organization that was often opposite unions during collective bargaining negotiations.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Slight wear on old fold lines. A few minor verso reinforcements.

References

OCLC 1206367185.