NYC Manhole Covers: History and How They're Made

NYC’s oldest manhole cover dates to 1862 and sits across from the Port Authority Bus Terminal

"How many manhole covers are there in New York City? How are they made? Where do they lead to? In an episode of The Untapped New York Podcast we go over manhole covers 101 and discuss why New Yorkers find them to be such curious objects. We speak with Lisa Frigand, the former Manager of Cultural Affairs at the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, Natasha Raheja, an anthropologist at Cornell University who made the film Cast in India about how manhole are made, and with Justin Rivers, Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer, who will talk about his personal experience going down into a manhole. We’ll also look at a unique manhole cover art project that popped up in Greenwich Village. By the end of the episode, you’ll also have the answer to that famous interview question, why are manhole covers round? ..."

Untapped Cities 

2013 May: W - Manhole

On Minetta Street, a NYC Sewer Made in India manhole cover sits next to a more old-school DPW manhole cover