User:QuintusCinna/Gotham City

History

According to Swamp Thing #53 (and various subsequent comic book stories), Gotham City was founded in 1635 by a Swedish mercenary and was later taken over by the Kingdom of Great Britain. This loosely mirrors the history of New York, which was founded by the Dutch and taken over by the British. During the American Revolutionary War it was the site of a major battle and various occult rites were rumored to have been conducted within the city. Perhaps for these reasons Gotham is a dark and forbidding place rife with crime, grime, and corruption. Despite this, Gotham City has maintained a thriving economy and is considered a major economic center of activity.

In the late 1990s, Gotham City suffered from an artificially created epidemic, and was given its most devastating blow when an earthquake (measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale) struck the city in 1998, resulting in untold property damage and, according to Adventures of Superman # 648, 5,057 dead at last recorded count. After much political controversy, a federal edict cut off the city from the rest of the United States, with most of Gotham's residents evacuating in the process. After a full year as a federally proclaimed "no man's land," the reconstruction of the city was initiated by privately owned businesses, and later taken over by the Federal Works Projects. Old landmarks were painstakingly restored or recreated in tribute to the city's rich history. New buildings were erected, in addition to the completion of the Gotham Rapid Transit System, which included the longest independently operated monorail system in the world. Gotham thus regained its identity, and remains today as one of the greatest cities in the world.

Additionally, James Gordon retired from service as Gotham's police commissioner. He currently is a law professor at Gotham University. He has been succeeded by the new police commissioner, Michael Akins. However, the status quo was recently restored during the One Year Later event, and James Gordon is now once again Commissioner, serving his third stint in the position.

Mayors

A list of Gotham City's mayors, in chronological order from earliest to latest:

• Hamilton Hill — before KnightSaga
• Armand Krol — early 1990s; during KnightSaga; lost election to Grange; later died from the Clench virus unleashed by Ra's al Ghul in the "Legacy" storyline
• Marion Grange — late 1990s; failed to prevent the federal government from declaring No Man's Land before being assassinated by agents of Nick Scratch.
• Daniel Danforth Dickerson III — early 2000s; elected mayor following No Man's Land; corrupt; assassinated by the Joker
• David Hull — current

William Borg was the mayor in the 1989 Batman film. Hamilton Hill was the mayor in Batman: The Animated Series. Marion Grange is the mayor in the The Batman, and in a divergence from the comics, is depicted as male. The original version of Grange as published in the comics was female.

Architecture

The unique architecture of Gotham City can be traced back to Judge Solomon Wayne during the pre-American Civil War era. Wayne's entrepreneurial skills made him a leading citizen in Gotham, starting a dozen businesses including the Gotham Buggy Whip Works. His campaign to reform Gotham came to a head when he met Cyrus Pinkney, a young architect looking for a commission. After the promotion of Pinkney's designs in the Property Holders Association, Wayne commissioned the first "Gotham Style" structures to be built in what is now the center of the city's financial district. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the Gothic architecture became a focal point for a thriving commercial center. Wayne and Pinkney would raise a dozen similar buildings in the years that followed, as Gotham took on a new face that would make it famous the world over.

Newspapers

The Daily Star (seen in Batman #2, p 45).

The Herald (seen in Batman #2, p 2).

Streets

Daly Avenue (mentioned in Batman Comics #1, p 21).

Post Road (mentioned in Batman Comics #1, p 21).

Buildings, Commercial

Cyrus Craig's Museum. (shown in Batman Comics #2, p 14).

Drake Museum (shown in Batman Comics #1, p 44). The Cleopatra necklace was located here.

Edith's Cafe (shown in Batman Comics #3, p 52).

Hackett and Snead Circus (shown in Batman Comics #2, p 47). This circus had at least a lion, lioness, and mammoth elephant with a circus capable of holding hundreds of guests. This may have been a traveling circus.

Jewel Salon (shown in Batman Comics #3, p 45). A place that had "magnificent" diamonds being displayed prior to a robbery attempt by the Cat.

Martier's Shop (shown in Batman Comics #3, p 10). A Jewelry store that Batman stole jewelry from when under the mind-control of the Puppet Master.

Zita's Cafe (shown in Batman Comics #3, p 44).

Buildings, Government

Police Headquarters (shown in Batman Comics #3, p 10).

Vesalius Hospital (shown in Batman Comics #2, p 2). It is a classical, four-columnar three-story building. The hospital had an operation room also. The Joker was placed in here temporarily.

Buildings, Industrial

Wolfe fur Warehouse (shown in Batman Comics #3, p 34). Located in the poor area of the city, this warehouse was a place for kids to learn how to be thugs.

Buildings, Residential

Castle of E.S. Arthur. (shown in Batman Comics #2, p 10).

Eckhart's Home (shown in Batman Comics #3, p 22). Home of Dr. Eckhart.

Puppet Master's House (shown in Batman Comics #2, p 12).

Storme Mansion. (shown in Batman Comics #2, p 33).

Van Peyson Apartment (shown in Batman Comics #3, p 34). A place that Big Boy Daniels wanted to "clean out".

Wayne Manor. The place that Bruce Wayne lives.

Harbor

Pier 3 (shown in Batman Comics #3, p 20). An abandoned powerhouse on the riverfront.

Powerhouse on the Riverfront. (shown in Batman Comics #2, p 10).