Incredible before-and-after photos show how much New York City has changed since the 1800s

new york before and after west village

OldNYC/Google Maps

The West Village has changed over the years.

There’s a new map that will help you chart exactly how much Manhattan has changed over the years. 

This week, the New York Public Library released an interactive website that allows users to travel back in time using the Library’s historical photography database. 

The site, called OldNYC, features a digital map where users can view photos of the island dating as far back as the early 19th century.

There are photos for almost every intersection in the city, so you can see the evolution of historical landmarks and even your own address.

Here’s a look at the lights of Times Square in 1920.

And here is Times Square today.

This is an intersection on 8th Avenue in 1925, 25 years before it would become home to one of the city’s major transportation hubs.

It’s now the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

This is the view of Trinity Church from Wall Street in 1904.

This is a similar shot of Wall Street today.

It’s unbelievable how rustic the West Village looked in 1927.

Here’s the West Village today.

Here is what Grand Central Station looked like during the roaring twenties.

Surrounded by skyscrapers, this is what the station looks like today.

Here is a picture of Union Square in 1904.

George Washington’s statue still looks over the square today.

This is a picture of an elevated train being razed at 42nd Street and 6th Avenue in 1939.

Today, the subway runs underground here at 6th Avenue.

The buildings at West 20th Street and 5th Avenue used to be a lot shorter.

Now, the same intersection is home to Business Insider’s office building. The entrance is visible just left of the red awnings.

Here’s a photo of a parade walking past the James Farley Post Office in 1937.

Today, the Post Office is next door to Madison Square Garden.

Here is South Street Seaport with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background in 1937.

Flanked by cars on FDR Drive, here it is in the present day.

Customers lined up outside Saks Fifth Avenue in the 1920s.

The department store still sits in the exact same location.

In 1931, 9th Avenue in Chelsea was just starting to become the neighborhood it is today.

Today, the neighborhood is home to Google’s New York City office.

Horses carried passengers along the intersection of Mott and Canal streets in 1860.

More than 150 years later, the same intersection lies in the heart of Chinatown.

Here is a look at a quiet Columbus Circle of yesteryear.

Columbus Circle has grown to include many major buildings, including the Trump Hotel and the Time Warner Center.

The Chrysler Building was under construction in 1929.

After its completion, it was the tallest in the world until 1931. Here it is now.

Now, check out how much Central Park has changed in just 30 years.

Click here to see photos of Central Park in the 1980s and today.

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