We heartily thank our generous supporters: The Leon Levy Foundation, The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, Achelis Bodman Foundation, Creative Wales, and Media Cymru.
Welcome to New York’s Freedom Trail.
NYC Revolutionary Trail began as a digital exhibition — a multimedia walking tour of lower Manhattan, backed in a 75,000-w0rd library with teaching material. Designed by the Gotham Center, at the Graduate Center (CUNY), it is now a smartphone app, sponsored by the Downtown Alliance.
The project expanded into a partnership with the Museum of the City of New York on a 7,000-sq. ft. exhibition opening May 1, 2026.
We are now creating a gamified version of the Trail with augmented reality from the Assassin’s Creed universe, for a more interactive, immersive experience. Echoes of Revolution will be released in May 2026, in collaboration with Ubisoft and Sugar Creative.
Meet the Founders
For interviews, guest talks, or collaboration, please write us here.
Peter-Christian Aigner
Gotham Center Director
& Lead Researcher, Writer, Curator
Ted Knudsen
Project Co-Founder
& Assistant Researcher, Writer, Curator
Reviews
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“A Revolutionary War Tour of New York” - The New York Times
July 17, 2025 - Historians have put together an app that guides users to significant sites around the city, just in time for the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding.
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“Museums Tell Stories of American Independence” - The New York Times
April 27, 2025 - “Occupied City: New York During the American Revolution,” opening May 2026 and presented with the Gotham Center for New York City History, will relate — in about 200 maps, documents, art and archaeological artifacts — what the museum’s director and president, Stephanie Hill Wilchfort, calls “an incredible story of resilience.”
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2026 GANYC Apple Award Winner
March 9, 2026 - NYC Revolutionary Trail Walking Tour Guide wins for Outstanding Achievement in Support of NYC Tourism
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“Augmented Reality Walking Tour of Revolutionary-Era New York Will Launch this Summer" - Patch.com
February 27, 2026 - The multimedia 90-minute walking tour in downtown Manhattan reframes New York at the heart of the American Revolution.
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“‘NYC Revolutionary Trail: Echoes of Revolution’ Self-Guided Walking Tour to Launch June 2026 to Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary" - Moral Compass Travel
February 15, 2026 - The Trail will incorporate cutting-edge AR and geolocation technology alongside exclusive historical environments and character assets from the Assassin’s Creed universe, allowing visitors to explore a digitally reconstructed colonial New York layered directly onto today’s streets.
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“NYC Launches Augmented Reality Walking Tour for America’s 250th Anniversary" NYS Music
February 15, 2026 - Founded by The Gotham Center for NYC History at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, the 90-minute tour partners with video game publisher Ubisoft and creative technology studio Sugar Creative to place visitors inside Revolutionary-era New York.
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“NYC Revolutionary Trail Launches June 2026: A Free AR Walking Tour for Families” - New York Family
February 13, 2026 - If you’ve ever done the Freedom Trail in Boston or walked around Philly hitting the big Revolutionary sites, you know how much easier it is for kids to feel like they’re part of history when they follow a simple route.
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“NYC Revolutionary Trail: Echoes of Revolution to Launch June 2026” - I❤️ NY
February 12, 2026 - A free immersive walking tour in downtown Manhattan in celebration of America's 250th Anniversary reframes New York as the heart of the American Revolution – set in the Assassin’s Creed® universe
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“Going Places: New York State Celebrates America’s 250th" - Long Island Press
January 28, 2026 - choes of Revolution is a new version of Gotham’s original NYC Revolutionary Trail App and will also partner with the Museum of the City of New York for the upcoming exhibit, “The Occupied City,” to ring in New York’s 250th celebration
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“New York State Celebrates America’s 250th" - Going Places, Far and Near
January 29, 2026 - Partnering with Video Game Publisher Ubisoft and Creative Technology Studio Sugar Creative, the Gotham Center, Echoes of Revolution is a FREE, mobile, geo-located immersive walking tour that uses augmented reality to place visitors inside Revolutionary-era New York.
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“New York’s Revolutionary War history is cooler than Boston and Philly’s, actually — here’s where to find it"
December 11, 2025 - A guide to what to do with yourself once you've finished the new Ken Burns