A Field Guide to New York City Manhole Covers


B P B

Borough President Brooklyn

cover image

Three Million Steps

One feature of the classic honeycomb design is that it can stand up to a hundred years of wagon wheels, horseshoes, shipyard workers boots, and hipster Fluevogs and still get the message across that the sewer was put in by the Borough President of Brooklyn.

DESIGN:

Honeycomb with patina. it is hard to know if this cover had other inscriptions or not

UTILITY:

Whether Storm or Sanitary, the honeycomb pattern says one thing: SEWER.

RANGE:

This cover is on Jay Street in Dumbo, but the pattern is ubiquitous throughout the borough.

Related Images Follow


Don Burmeister -- Photographs