Gotham City

History
A Norwegian mercenary, Captain Jon Logerquist, founded Nieuw Rotterdam in 1635 and the British later took it over. During the American Revolutionary War, the city was the site of a major battle.

During the 18th and 19th century, the city was renamed Gotham Town and became a major port city. In 1799, Darius Wayne began construction on a family estate that would become known as Wayne Manor.

In 1840, Gotham underwent a major urban planning initiated by Judge Solomon Wayne and architect Cyrus Pinkney that laid the foundation of Gotham City. Under Wayne's commission, Pinkney's design was meant to invoke a "bulwark against the godlessness of the wilds wherein we may nurture the gifts of Christian civilization and be protected from the savagery which lurks in untamed nature." Pinkney saw his designs as an organic whole, almost a living being that would itself fight against evil. Gargoyles to frighten people onto the path of righteousness; rounded edges to confuse malevolent beings; thick walls to lock in virtue. It also had many elevated walkways, with some buildings connected to each other in such a way as they could not stand alone. Although vehemently criticized by Wayne's fellow Gothamites, the edifice pleased the judge and, in fact, was highly successful in that it attracted others to locate their ventures nearby - which in fact became the focal point for a thriving commercial center in Gotham's financial district. Together Wayne and Pinkney raised no fewer than a dozen other similar buildings. Pinkney's "Gotham Style" structure, for a time, was widely imitated, both in Gotham and elsewhere despite universal vilification in the architectural world.

In 1881, Nicholas and Bradley Gate detail their plans for a greater Gotham to Theodore Cobblepot, Edward Elliot, and Alan Wayne. Their expansion on Cyrus Pinkney's designs commissioned by Solomon Wayne leads to the construction of Wayne Tower at the center of the city, with the three bridges connecting, making them well-known as the "Gates of Gotham."

By the end of the century, Gotham City became a bustling hub of industry. However, it also became a haven for crime, known more for its poverty, the squalidness of its slums and the utter corruption of its government than for commercial and cultural achievements.

By the 1930s, crime and corruption had reached a significant height in Gotham in which it became immortally characterized as a dark foreboding metropolis. During the 1950s, Gotham evolved with the changing times, particularly in light of the paranoia perpetuated by the Cold War. Various bomb shelters were erected all throughout the city. By the 1960s, Gotham City planners began an ambitious project called the Underground Highway. Beginning at Fourth Avenue, they began building an actual subterranean thoroughfare designed to link with the subway system. They only managed to complete two-hundred yards worth of tunnel before budget cuts forced them to abandon the project.

Neighborhoods

 * Brideshead
 * Burnley
 * Burnside
 * Cherry Hill
 * Chinatown
 * Devil's Square
 * East End
 * Crime Alley
 * Gotham Heights
 * Gotham Village
 * Miller Harbor
 * Otisburg
 * The Hill
 * The Narrows
 * Tricorner

Parks and Recreational Areas

 * Robinson Park
 * Grant Park

Museums

 * Gotham Museum of Antiquities
 * Gotham Natural History Museum

Waterways

 * Gotham River
 * Sprang River
 * Finger River
 * River Merchant

Schools

 * Gotham Academy
 * Gotham Heights High School
 * Dillon Academy
 * Gotham City High School
 * Gotham University
 * Widow Creek Elementary

Public Locations

 * Amusement Mile
 * Archie Goodwin International Airport
 * Gotham City General Hospital
 * Gotham City Hall
 * Gotham City Police Headquarters
 * Gotham Public Library
 * Gotham Zoo
 * Sacred Heart Convalescent Home
 * St. Michael's Square

Businesses

 * Ace Chemical Processing Plant
 * S.T.A.R. Labs
 * Monarch Theater
 * Noonan's Bar
 * O'Shaughnessy's
 * Peregrinator's Club
 * Rags n' Tatters
 * Silver Lake Shopping Plaza
 * Sundollar
 * Tobacconists' Club
 * Wayne Enterprises

Media

 * Gotham Gazette

Other Locales

 * Arkham Asylum
 * Batcave
 * Blackgate Penitentiary
 * Club Vesuvius
 * Finnegan's
 * Gotham State Penitentiary
 * Iceberg Lounge
 * My Alibi
 * Slaughter Swamp
 * The Stacked Deck
 * Toxic Acres
 * Wayne Manor
 * Wayne Tower

Sports
Gotham City is home to several college and professional teams. *Will be updated as other schools are shown.*
 * Gotham Griffins (MLB)
 * Gotham Guardsmen (NBA)
 * Gotham Rogues (NFL)
 * Gotham Blades (NHL)
 * Gotham Academy Detectives (High School)
 * Gotham University Guardians (College)