At the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, NYC as It Looked on Sept. 12, 1609

The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx is showing "Before New York: The Bronx," the borough chapter of a traveling pop-up exhibition. It is installed in the Ross Gallery and runs through November 15, 2026.

Behind it is ecologist Dr. Eric W. Sanderson and his colleagues, who have spent more than 25 years reconstructing the coastal landscape and its inhabitants as they stood on September 12, 1609, on the eve of Henry Hudson's visit. The land that became New York City is called Welikia, a Munsee-Lenape word meaning "my good home." It was exceptionally productive and diverse, home to thousands of species and to the Lenape people for thousands of years.

In the gallery, panoramic images rendered from scientific data show landmark features, plants and terrain as they appeared roughly 400 years ago. Present-day photographs of the same spaces show how much has changed, and an interactive topographic model compares the ancient geography with today's street grid.

The exhibition moves from borough to borough. Earlier stops at Green-Wood Cemetery, the Queens Public Library's Central Branch and Pier 57 have closed, while the Greenbelt Nature Center on Staten Island has it on view through November 22. A recording of Sanderson's opening lecture on the Bronx is available online.

A companion book, "Before New York: The Natural Geography of the City: An Atlas and Gazetteer," is due out November 3, 2026. It charts the region's natural features, inhabitants, flora and fauna from before 1609 to the present.

The Garden is at 2900 Southern Blvd in the Bronx. With the Bronx installation closing in two weeks, it pairs well with a fall-foliage walk.