The manhole cover on Jersey street was New York’s oldest manhole cover and used to allow access to the Croton Aqueduct, built in the early 1840s.

Although the aqueduct was drained to create the Great Lawn in Central Park, this tiny manhole in SoHo was a tribute to the infrastructure that supported a growing metropolis from the days of horse and buggy travel.

Update March 2018: Sadly, the city of New York has replaced this manhole cover. There are others you can see around Central Park.