1936 Spofford Artist's Proof View of the Triborough Bridge, New York City

This is Edward Spofford's bird's-eye view of the Triborough Bridge and connections, New York City. The map was issued at the peak of Robert Moses' controversial efforts to build highways connecting New York's boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester.

A Closer Look

The view looks eastward, providing a high-oblique perspective from a point over midtown Manhattan. Coverage extends from the Long Island Sound to the northern tip of Roosevelt Island and from the Upper East Side well into Long Island. The centerpiece is the Triborough Bridge, connecting Manhattan with Ward Island, Randall's Island, the Bronx, and Queens. The Whitestone Bridge and the notorious prison on Riker's Island are recognizable.

Of secondary emphasis are the major motorways, including Grand Central Parkway and Astoria Boulevard, shown cutting through Queens, underscoring the connectivity the bridge and other Robert Moses projects provided. The area where La Guardia Airport now stands is blank.

A pastedown in the upper right titles the view and provides context.

Robert Moses and the Triborough Bridge

The Triborough Bridge (Robert F. Kennedy Bridge) was born of New York City's ambition to modernize its infrastructure and improve transportation during the early 20th century. Initially proposed in the 1920s as a means of connecting Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens, the project gained momentum with the formation of the Triborough Bridge Authority in 1933, led by the influential urban planner Robert Moses. The bridge's construction was envisioned as part of the city's response to the increasing demand for efficient transportation routes and as a strategy to provide jobs during the Great Depression. Funded in part by federal New Deal programs, including the Public Works Administration, the ambitious project faced numerous financial and engineering challenges before construction began in earnest in 1934. The Triborough Bridge opened to traffic on July 11, 1936, and immediately transformed regional connectivity, facilitating commerce and travel between the boroughs while embodying the era's spirit of bold, transformative infrastructure projects. Its completion marked a pivotal moment in New York City's evolution into a modern, car-centric metropolis.

Publication History and Census

This view, as presented here, with the title pastedown in the upper right, is by all appearances an artist or publisher's proof. The view was made by Edward W. Spofford, c. 1936, likely for the opening of the Triborough Bridge. It clearly predates the construction of LaGuardia Airport, which followed from 1937-39. Later, it was revised significantly, including the addition of LaGuardia, and reissued by the Triborough Bridge Authority for the 1939 New York World's Fair. The present publisher's proof is unique and unrecorded. Nor are we aware of printed editions of this state - all printed examples follow the 1939 revision.