An 1860 Map of the Fort Washington Area of Manhattan Recreated in the Video Game ‘Minecraft’

Leonard Richardson and Paul Beaudoin of the experimental design and technology team NYPL Labs, part of the New York Public Library, have taken an 1860 map of the Fort Washington area of Manhattan and recreated it in the video game Minecraft.

The map they chose to recreate, situated near the Hudson River and what is now 160th Street, includes contour lines that indicate the elevation of a given area — making it perfect for use in Minecraft where elevation can be clearly delineated by another level of blocks. Richardson and Beaudoin have made both a creative mode and survival mode map available for download.

Elevation Map

Features Map

Minecraft Creative Mode Map

images via NYPL Labs

via Philip Bump