New York City Buildings: Research guide

Dolkart, Andrew. Hints on Researching New York City Buildings. An in-depth guide to undertaking research on New York buildings and neighborhoods, specifically step by step procedures to using city agencies.

Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts. How to Research a New York City Building.

Gray, Christopher. A Guide to Researching the History of a New York City Building. Adapted from an article in the New York Times, July 2, 1995 - a more current treatment on the same subject was published in the New York Times on December 5, 2004, and is available through the New York Times website.

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. A Guide to Research Resources in New York City. List of resources in the five boroughs that help in researching historic buildings. Includes research services, fees for reproductions, research tips, and public transportation directions.

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NAMED BUILDINGS

For citations to journal articles, look up the buildings in the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals

For books, look up the buildings in CLIO, and the Avery Library card catalog, using one or more of the search strategies below:

Search under the full name of the building in direct order.
Ex: CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE (NEW YORK, N.Y.)

If not found, look for the name under "New York (N.Y.)" plus name of building.
Ex: NEW YORK (N.Y.). CHRYSLER BUILDING.

If the building has had more than one name, try all possibilities.
Ex: FLATIRON BUILDING (also known as the FULLER BUILDING)

If the building is known only by its address, try the spelled-out form of the address.
Ex: 154 EAST 89TH STREET (NEW YORK, N.Y.)
i.e., filed in the card catalog as if spoken aloud and then spelled out as One Fifty-Four East Eighty-Ninth Street.

If it is unlikely that the building is the subject of an entire book, try a broader subject category to find books that might have a chapter or section on your building.
Ex: NEW YORK (N.Y.)--CHURCHES
or APARTMENT HOUSES--UNITED STATES--NEW YORK (N.Y.)

Ask the Curator of Rare Books for help in locating rare materials, such as view books and publicity brochures, which may or may not appear in CLIO or the card catalog.

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ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS

If you know the name of the architect or firm, check in CLIO, the Avery card catalog, and the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals under this name.

Try biographical dictionaries for further leads.

Contemporary Architects. New York: St. James Press, 1994. (Avery Reference AA 40 C761)

Francis, Dennis Steadman. Architects in Practice in New York City, 1840-1900. New York: The Committee, 1979. (Avery Reference AA 735 N4 F844) and Ward, James. Architects in Practice, New York City, 1900-1940. Union, N.J.: J & D Associates, 1989. (Avery Reference AA 735 N4 W21) Simply a list of every architect active in New York City with their addresses and office numbers. Ward's volume includes the firm's official landmarks in New York, when known.

Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects. New York: Free Press, 1982. 4 vol. (Avery Reference AA 31 M223) Biographical information on international architects. Includes a chronological list of works and a bibliography.

Withey, Henry F. Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased). Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 1994. (Avery Reference AA 736 W7711) For architects active between 1740 and 1952.

If the architect or firm is not known, look up the building in the AIA Guide to New York City. (Avery Reference and Reserves AA 735 N4 Am35113) or in another guidebook.

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ENCYCLOPEDIAS, GUIDEBOOKS & HANDBOOKS

Jackson, Kenneth T. Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven, Ct.: Yale University Press, 1995. (Avery Reference AA 735 N4 En197) Entries across the spectrum of New York City history, design, and culture.

King, Moses. King's Handbook of New York City. Boston, 1893. (Avery Reference AA 735 N4 K5811)

Silver, Nathan. Lost New York. Boston: Houghton Mifflian, 2000. (Avery Reference AA 735 N4 Si381) Illustrated with photographs, this book provides a look at places in New York City that are no more.

Stern, Robert A.M. New York 1880: Architecture and Urbanism in the Gilded Age. New York: Monacelli Press, 1999. (Avery Reference and Reserves AA 735 N4 St449); New York 1900: Metropolitan Architecture and Urbanism, 1890-1915. New York: Rizzoli, 1983. (Avery Reference and Reserves AA 735 N4 St45); New York 1930: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Two World Wars. New York: Rizzoli, 1987. (Avery Reference and Reserves AA 735 684 St453); New York 1960: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial. New York: Monacelli Press, 1995. (Avery Reference and Reserves AA 684 St454). New York 2000: Architecture and Urbanism between the Bicentennial and the Millennium. New York: Monacelli Press, 2006. (Avery Reference and Reserves AA 684 St455). Good source for information on the development and the architecture of the city. Includes entries on many specific buildings and complexes. The endnotes are extensive and detailed.

Stokes, I. N. Phelps Iconography of Manhattan Island,1498-1909. Union, N.J.: Lawbook Exchange, 1998 (Avery Reference AA 735 N4 St611) Six volume history of Manhattan. It has a detailed history of the city and hundreds of early views of New York. It is extensively indexed and an invaluable source for the study of the city's early history, topography, development, and architecture.

White, Norval. AIA Guide to New York City. New York: Crown Publishers, 2000. (Avery Reference and Reserves AA 735 N4 Am35113) Wide coverage. Particularly helpful for identifying architects for local structures.

WPA Guide to New York City. New York: Pantheon Books, 1982. (Avery Reference AA 735 N4 1939 N48) Originally published in 1939.

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LANDMARK BUILDINGS & DISTRICTS

Diamonstein, Barbaralee. Landmarks of New York: an illustrated record of the city's historic buildings. New York: Monacelli Press, 2005 (Avery Reference AA 735 N4 D5434) Compilation of designated landmarks in New York City, providing brief descriptions and photographs. A section on historic districts offers maps delineating the scope of these areas.

Dolkart, Andrew. Guide to New York City landmarks. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2004. (Avery Reference AA 735 N4 2004 D69) Information on all individual landmarks, interior landmarks, scenic landmarks and historic districts designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission from 1965 to 2002.

Goldstone, Harmon H. History preserved: a guide to New York City landmarks and historic districts. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974. (Avery Reference AA 735 N4 G57) Organized by geographical areas within the city, it discusses the landmarks designated at that time and their historic significance.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has written a designation report on each individual landmark and historic district. The reports prepared after the mid-1970s are valuable sources on information on individual buildings, architects, neighborhoods and building types and include useful bibliographies.

Check the designation reports of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, listed in CLIO under:

NEW YORK (N.Y.). LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION
or under keywords: landmarks preservation [building name]

Recent designation reports from the 1990s on are available full-text, with images, on the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission website.

Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Digitized images of measured drawings, black-and-white photographs, color transparencies, photo captions, data pages including written histories, and supplemental materials for buildings in the United States and its territories.

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NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS

Look for published news reports and articles in contemporary newspapers or journals. If articles can not be founded in any of the indexes such as the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals , 19th-Century Masterfile or the American Periodical Series Online, 1740-1900 , then look at issues from the year before, during, and after the building had been constructed.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle Major newspaper for Brooklyn but also includes other parts of New York City. Available full-text online from 1841-1902.

New York Daily Tribune Citations available through the 19th-Centuty Masterfile for the years 1875-1906.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers Full text articles from the New York Times (1851-2003) and the Wall Street Journal (1889-1989).

Real Estate Record and Builders Guide, 1868-1974 (Avery AB R23 and Avery microfilm FN 1861) The articles in this important resource are not indexed anywhere. However there is the Index to Pictures: Real Estate Record and Guide, Volumes 35 to 1001, 1885 to 1918 (Avery Reference AZ 900H13) which will lead the reseacher to pictures as well as articles.

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ATLASES, LANDBOOKS AND ZONING

New York City Atlases and Land Books List of materials available at Avery Library.

New York Public Library. Map Division Comprehensive collection of property maps of New York City, especially Bromley, Hyde, Perris, REDI, Robinson, and Sanborn maps from the 1850s to the present. Search CATNYP, New York Public Libraries online catalog for holdings.

Zoning Resolution of the City of New York (Avery Reserves AA 9127 N4L1 N485111 F)

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DRAWINGS AND ARCHIVAL MATERIALS

The Avery Drawings and Archives Collection at Avery Library includes materials from New York City architects. Use the Collections of the Drawings and Archives Department list and/or consult the Curator of Drawings or the Assistant to the Curator (212-854-4110) for further information. The materials located in the Drawings and Archives Collection can be seen by appointment only.

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NEW YORK CITY AGENCIES

Check the agency websites for visitor information. A photo ID is required to visit any of these locations.

New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) Manhattan Office. 280 Broadway, between Reade and Chambers Streets. phone: (212) 566-5000. Records are on the Third Floor.

The DOB has kept records since April 1865. To use these records you need the block and lot numbers and the address of the properties in which you have an interest. For a Manhattan building this information can be found in the Sanborn Manhattan Land Book (Avery Reserves). Buildings in the other boroughs can be found on microfiche (Avery Fx3 4118). The DOB files contain construction application, building permits and architectural drawings and plans.

Municipal Archives Surrogate's Court Building at 31 Chambers Street. Room 103. phone: (212) 788-8580

Important collections include microfilms of the Department of Buildings's docket books, Building Department records, tax records, land books, and the Manhattan Borough President's Photograph Collection. Extremely useful are the tax photographs . Every building in the five boroughs was photographed between 1939 and 1941 as part of a real property appraisal project

City Hall Library (formerly known as the Municipal Reference and Research Center) Surrogate's Court Building at 31 Chambers Street. Room 103. phone: (212) NEW-YORK

Official depository for all agency published reports and studies. These reports are often valuable sources for information on civic projects. Includes New York City neighborhood files, New York City history, an annotated New York City street name index, etc.

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LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS

Check the websites for visitor information.

Museum of the City of New York Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street. phone: (212) 534-1672

The main resource here is a superb photo collection.

New York Public Library Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. phone (212) 930-0830

The New York Public Library has great resources for New York City research. The United States History, Local History and Genealogy Division, the Art and Architecture Division, and the Map Division are particularly useful places to do research.

New York Transit Museum Transit 130 Livingston Street, Room C42. Brooklyn phone: (718) 694-1068

The Archive has an extensive photo collection documenting the construction of and alterations to the subway lines. The photos also contain details of the buildings adjacent to the routes including storefront infill and other architectural details.

Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences 75 Stuyvesant Place, at Wall Street, Staten Island. phone: (718) 727-1135

Relevant collections include the Architectural Survey Collection, 1977-1980. This survey documents the architecture, building by building, of most of the north shore and parts of the south shore. A Photograph Collection includes images of individual buildings and streetscapes from the late 1800s to the present. The collection also holds maps, altases, and postcards.

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HISTORICAL SOCIETIES

Check the websites for visitor information.

Brooklyn Historical Society 128 Pierrepont Street (at Clinton Street). phone: (718) 222-4111

The Library collections include a range of materials for various aspects of house or building research or for the evolution of Brooklyn neighborhoods over time. Of particular significance are the historic maps and atlases collection which include several hundred historic Brookyn atlases dating from the nineteenth-and early twentieth-century and copies of the official block-by-block Brooklyn land conveyance records (dating back to the late 1600s in some cases). A database of 30,000 images is available by appointment.

Bronx County Historical Society 3309 Bainbridge Ave., The Bronx. phone: (718) 881-8900

The Society collects all forms of material relating to the history of The Bronx, including photograhs and slides, postcards, real estate atlases and maps.

New-York Historical Society Central Park West and West 76th Street. phone: (212) 873-3400

The New-York Historical Society has an extensive collection of materials relating to New York City. It has architectural drawings and photographs, including the primary collection of McKim, Mead & White materials, maps and atlases, and bound copies of New York City Directories.

Queens Historical Society Kingland Homestead, Weeping Beech Park, 143-35 37th Ave., Flushing. phone: (718) 937-0647

As a local history research center, the Society maintains and makes accessible to the public, by appointment only, a library and archive of primary and secondary source materials (maps, atlases, manuscripts, photographs, docuemnts, family papers and ephemera) covering every chapter of the over 300 year history of Queens.

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR APARTMENT HOUSES

Alpern, Andrew. New York's fabulous luxury apartments: with original floor plans from the Dakota, River House, Olympic Tower, and other great buildings. New York: Dover Publications, 1987, c1975. (Avery Reserves and Reference AA 7860 AL 741) Exterior views and sample floor plans as well brief historical synopsis, each with architect, builder, date built, and when applicable, date razed.

Apartment houses of the metropolis. New York: G.C. Hesselgren Pub. Co., 1908. (Avery Classics AA 7860 Ap12 F) Digitized version available at
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?parent_id=286807&word=

"Classic 6:" New York City Apartment Building Living, 1880s-1910s
More than 1,300 digital images depict elevation views and floor plans for middle and upper class apartment buildings from New York City's pre World War I residential building boom.

Cromley, Elizabeth C. Alone together: a history of New York's early apartment buildings. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1990. (Avery Reserves AA 7860 C88) Illustrated with images of many of the noteworthy apartment buildings and accompanying floor plans.

Norton, Thomas E. Living it up: a guide to the named apartment buildings of New York. New York: Atheneum, 1984. (Avery Reference AA 7860 N82) Small floor plans are included for some structures.

Plunz, Richard. A History of Housing in New York City: Dwelling Type and Social Change in the American Metropolis. New York: Columbia University Press, 1990. (Avery Reserves and Reference AA 7544 N48 P743)

Select register of apartment house plans for Manhattan. New York: REDI, 1985- (Avery AA7860 Se48) Real estate directory including floor plans and data such as architect and building date. Updated annually.

Sexton, R. W. American apartment houses of today: illustrating plans, details, exteriors and interiors of modern city and suburban apartment houses throughout the United States. New York: Architectural Book Pub. Co., 1926. (Avery Reserves AA 7860 Se9) Emphasis on Manhattan and the boroughs. Provides a photograph and floor plan for each building.

World's loose leaf album of apartment houses: containing views and ground plans of the principal high class apartment houses in New York City, together with a map showing the situation of these houses, transportation facilities, etc. N.Y. World, 1910 (Avery microfilm F d4183) Plans, views, and descriptions of early apartment buildings. Digitized version available at
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?parent_id=24192&word=

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR OFFICE BUILDINGS

Ballard, Robert F. R. Directory of Manhattan office buildings. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978. (Avery AA 735 N4 B21) Includes photographs, typical floor plans, architect and building date.

Directory of Manhattan office buildings. Weehawken, NJ: REDI. (Avery Reserves AA 6230 C954 F) Annual. Latest edition only in library. Photographs, typical floor plans, and site plans. Includes building date and architect, when available.

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IMAGE DATABASES AND WEBSITES

American History & American Studies: New York City History & It's History Columbia University subject guide which includes the 1990 Census for the city, Internet Resources on the city's history and its neighborhoods.

Architecture and Interior Design for 20th Century America: Photographs by Samual Gottscho and William Schleisner, 1935-1955 Over 29,000 photographs primarily of architectural subjects, including interiors and exteriors of homes, stores, office, factories, historic buildings, and other structures concentrated chiefly in the northeastern United States, especially in the New York City area.

New York Architecture Images and Notes

New York City Skyscrapers This website is a study of New York City's most striking architectural entities, its high-rise buildings.

Office for Metropolitan History Christopher Gray has created a digitized index to all of the building permits in Manhattan from 1900 to 1986 which is searchable by address, architect, building type, and other fields.

Photographic Views of New York City. 1870s-1970s
More than 54,000 archival photographs from New York Public Library (and their captioned versos) arranged by borough and street; the majority are exterior building views and neighborhood scenes from the 1910s-1940s.

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last updated: November 2006

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