Clinton Community Garden

W. 47 St., W. 48 St., 9 Ave., 10 Ave.

Manhattan

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

During his lifetime, DeWitt Clinton (1769-1828) held many illustrious jobs, serving as a U.S. Senator, Mayor of New York City and Governor of New York State. The statesman is probably best known for his part in building and opening the 363-mile Erie Canal, which expanded trade to the Midwest and made New York City the commercial hub of America.

One of Clinton’s most visionary and lasting initiatives, unveiled in 1811, was the Manhattan grid street system. This milestone in city planning promoted a systematic development of the island. The plan utilized rectangular blocks to maximize the city’s efficiency and ease of use. The layout arranged 12 north-south avenues perpendicular to 155 east-west cross streets in defiance of Manhattan’s rugged geography. The commission’s plan astutely predicted and accommodated the exponential growth that would occur during the 19th and 20th centuries.