Explore the real-world places that appear in Foundation by Isaac Asimov. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Columbia University, New York Public Library, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Astounding Science Fiction Offices, World Science Fiction Convention Site and 5 more.
116th Street & Broadway — Asimov's academic foundation
While Foundation is set in a galactic empire, Asimov drew heavily on his academic experience at Columbia where he earned his PhD in biochemistry in 1948. The rigorous scientific methodology he learned here influenced his creation of psychohistory, Hari Seldon's mathematical science that predicts the future of large populations. Seldon's Encyclopedia project mirrors the vast scholarly undertakings Asimov witnessed at Columbia.
Founded in 1754, Columbia University became one of America's premier research institutions. By the 1940s when Asimov was there, it was at the forefront of scientific research, contributing to the Manhattan Project and advancing numerous fields of study.
Columbia remains a leading Ivy League university with over 33,000 students. The campus where Asimov studied still houses world-class research facilities and the Low Memorial Library where he spent countless hours.
Visit: Columbia University (landmark)
5th Avenue & 42nd Street — The real Foundation
The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building served as Asimov's model for the Encyclopedia Galactica project that drives Foundation's plot. Hari Seldon's plan to preserve all human knowledge on Terminus parallels the NYPL's mission to collect and preserve information. The vast reading rooms where Asimov researched inspired his vision of scholars working to maintain civilization through dark times.
Opened in 1911, the New York Public Library became the largest marble structure in the United States. Its mission to provide free access to information for all people embodied the democratic ideals that Asimov wove into his Foundation series.
The library remains one of the world's great research institutions, housing over 46 million items. The Rose Main Reading Room where Asimov once worked continues to serve researchers and writers from around the globe.
Visit: New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (library)
Brooklyn — Industrial inspiration for Terminus
Asimov drew on his memories of the bustling Brooklyn Navy Yard to create Terminus, the industrial planet where the Foundation establishes itself. The Yard's shipbuilding operations and technological innovation mirror how the Foundation becomes a center of advanced technology in a declining galaxy. Salvor Hardin's political maneuvering against neighboring kingdoms reflects the Navy Yard's strategic importance during wartime.
Active from 1801 to 1966, the Brooklyn Navy Yard was one of America's premier shipbuilding facilities. During World War II, when Asimov was writing, it employed over 70,000 workers and represented the pinnacle of industrial technology and organization.
The Navy Yard has been transformed into a modern industrial park and creative hub. Many of the historic buildings have been preserved and repurposed for new industries, echoing the Foundation's mission to rebuild from remnants of the past.
Visit: Brooklyn Navy Yard Center (historic site)
79 7th Avenue — Where Foundation was born
In the offices of Street & Smith Publications, editor John W. Campbell Jr. suggested to Asimov that he write about the fall of a galactic empire modeled on Gibbon's 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.' This conversation in May 1941 led directly to the Foundation series. Campbell's editorial guidance shaped Seldon's character and the series' focus on the cyclical nature of civilizations.
Street & Smith was one of the most influential pulp magazine publishers of the early 20th century. Under Campbell's editorship from 1937-1971, Astounding Science Fiction became the premier venue for serious science fiction, publishing works by Heinlein, Sturgeon, and van Vogt alongside Asimov.
The building still stands but is now used for different purposes. The legacy of Astounding continues through Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine, which traces its lineage directly back to Campbell's publication.
Various NYC venues — The science fiction community
Asimov was deeply involved in science fiction fandom and attended numerous conventions in New York where he discussed ideas that would become central to Foundation. The concept of psychohistory and the cyclical nature of empire were refined through conversations with fellow writers and fans. These gatherings influenced his portrayal of the Encyclopedia project as a collaborative scholarly effort.
The first World Science Fiction Convention was held in New York in 1939, establishing the city as a center of science fiction culture. These conventions became crucial venues for writers to share ideas and develop the themes that would define the Golden Age of science fiction.
New York continues to host major science fiction conventions. The city remains home to numerous science fiction publishers and organizations that trace their roots back to the community that nurtured Asimov's work.
Visit: Javits Center (landmark)
65-30 Kissena Blvd, Queens — Asimov's teaching years
Asimov taught biochemistry at Queens College while writing the early Foundation stories. His experience explaining complex scientific concepts to students influenced his creation of Hari Seldon as both scientist and teacher. The academic politics he observed informed his portrayal of the Foundation's scholarly community and their struggles to maintain knowledge against political pressures.
Founded in 1937 as part of New York City's public college system, Queens College quickly established itself as a center of academic excellence. During the 1940s and 1950s, it attracted many brilliant faculty members like Asimov who balanced teaching with research and creative work.
Queens College remains part of the CUNY system and continues to be known for its strong science programs. The campus where Asimov taught has expanded significantly but still maintains its commitment to accessible higher education.
Visit: Queens College, CUNY (landmark)
Times Square — Dining and discussions
Asimov frequently ate at Horn & Hardart Automats while discussing story ideas with fellow writers and editors. The mechanized food service reminded him of the technological solutions that characters like Salvor Hardin employ in Foundation. These restaurants became informal meeting places where the science fiction community gathered to debate ideas about technology, society, and the future.
The Automat was a revolutionary dining concept that peaked in the 1940s and 1950s. These mechanized restaurants represented the promise of technology to improve daily life, embodying the optimistic view of progress that influenced science fiction writers of Asimov's generation.
The original Automats are gone, but the Times Square area remains a bustling center of activity. The technological innovation that the Automats represented has evolved into the digital automation that surrounds us today.
Central Park West & 79th Street — Scientific wonder
Asimov visited this museum regularly and drew inspiration from its exhibits on human evolution and civilization for the sweeping historical scope of Foundation. The museum's dioramas showing the rise and fall of species influenced his conception of psychohistory as a tool for understanding large-scale historical patterns. The planetarium particularly inspired his vision of galactic civilization.
Founded in 1869, the museum became one of the world's premier institutions for natural history research and education. Its exhibits on human development and civilization provided educational resources that shaped public understanding of evolutionary and historical processes.
The museum continues to be a leading center for scientific research and education, with the Hayden Planetarium offering spectacular shows about space and the universe that echo Asimov's galactic vision.
Visit: American Museum of Natural History (museum)
Asimov's neighborhood — Home and writing
Asimov lived in Washington Heights during his most productive writing period, including when he wrote the Foundation stories. The view from this elevated neighborhood, looking out over the city and river, provided a sense of perspective that influenced his ability to envision the vast scope of galactic civilization. The quiet residential setting allowed him to focus on the complex plotting required for Seldon's grand plan.
Washington Heights became home to many immigrant communities in the early-to-mid 20th century, creating a diverse neighborhood where different cultures intersected. This multicultural environment provided Asimov with insights into how different societies might coexist and conflict on a galactic scale.
Washington Heights remains a vibrant, diverse neighborhood. The area has been revitalized in recent decades while maintaining its character as a community where people from different backgrounds live and work together.
421 Hudson Street — Foundation in book form
Gnome Press published the first book edition of Foundation in 1951, collecting the stories that had appeared in Astounding. Publisher Martin Greenberg worked with Asimov here to edit and organize the stories into novel form, establishing the structure that would define the series. This transformation from magazine stories to novels helped establish Foundation as a cornerstone of science fiction literature.
Gnome Press was a small but influential science fiction publisher founded in 1948. Despite financial struggles, they published first editions of many science fiction classics, helping to legitimize the genre in hardcover book form during the early 1950s.
The building has been converted to other uses, but Hudson Street remains part of the historic West Village. The legacy of small presses like Gnome continues in the numerous independent publishers that still call New York home.
More by Isaac Asimov: All Isaac Asimov books
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