Mannahatta: Pre-City New York
A new exhibit opening May 20 at Museum of the City of New York promises to shed new light on a pre-city New York City. The exhibit, called “Mannahatta”, will be using ecological research by Eric W. Sanderson and digital re-creations by Markley Boyer (pictured) to produce a concept of what new york looked like when it was the stomping grouds of the powerful Alongonquin tribe called Lenape. The re-creations based on Sanderson’s researched are detailed to the exact topography and the species of tree and contrasted with the current street grid. The exhibit, and corresponding book for greater detail, will be fascinating to give an idea of a character that has all but disappeared. Although if you want the smallest taste for Mannahatta today, visit Inwood Hill Park, the last surviving remnant of Manhattan’s original ecosystem.
