Andrew Hagstrom: Colossus of New York Subway Maps

Thursday, May 11th, 2023

6:00 PM ET

General Admission $5/Members Free

In the history of subway map design, mapmakers have built on each other’s visions to progressively translate a complicated system into an accessible visual guide. Notably, the Hagstrom Map Company’s version was the first to color-code the three subway companies, the IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit), BMT (Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit) and IND (Independent), on one map. In 1940 when the three companies were consolidated, the design became the official map of the system and maintained that status for the next 15 years.

Peter Lloyd will present this unique slice of subway map history, exploring the storied life of Andrew Hagstrom and his trajectory from immigrant to astute businessman and philanthropist. He’ll delve into stories of the company’s design process, while highlighting some rarely seen maps from the New York Transit Museum’s archive.

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General Admission $5/Members Free

Accessibility:

All attendees are welcome. You will have the option to turn on automatic captions for this virtual program. Staff will share instructions for how to do so at the start of the event. Please email access@nytransitmuseum.org with any questions.

Please contact programs@nytransitmuseum.org for general inquiries.

Image: Details from 1938 Hagstrom Map.