This is a week of significant anniversaries in the history of New York City.

First, the New York Grid, which turned 200 this week. A state-appointed commission that had the power to establish a binding plan for the development of future streets and open spaces in New York City had been formed in 1807, led by Gouverneur Morris and chief engineer and surveyor John Randel, Jr. They filed their plan for the city on March 22, 1811,