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Issued in conjunction with the 1939 New York World’s Fair, this vibrant promotional map presents a sweeping pictorial of Greater New York, highlighting the city’s roadways, parks, transit lines, bridges, tunnels, and key landmarks. Designed by the prominent mapmakers at C.S. Hammond & Co. and sponsored by the Corn Exchange Bank Trust Company, the map offers a striking visual impression of a modern, mobile metropolis just as New York was presenting itself as the city of the future.
The main map, printed in bold yellow, red, blue, and green, extends from central New Jersey to eastern Long Island and from southern Staten Island to Westchester County. Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Richmond are crisply delineated, with special attention given to transit corridors, parks, ferry terminals, and major civic sites. Radiating red lines trace automobile routes, while key locations are called out with white banners—e.g., “George Washington Bridge,” “Polo Grounds,” and “World’s Fair Grounds.” A complete list of Corn Exchange Bank offices is printed at left. The George Washington Bridge appears newly completed.
The verso enriches the offering with a host of thematic insets and indexes, including a detailed Rapid Transit Map of Greater New York, a full plan of the 1939 World’s Fair grounds in Flushing Meadows, and printed guides to Manhattan hotels, theaters, museums, art galleries, cathedrals, bridges, stadiums, and skyscrapers. These features position the piece as both a street map and a practical guide for residents and fairgoers alike. A central panel with Art Deco design promotes the bank and features its main office and $30 million capitalization, reflecting both civic confidence and institutional pride.
