Art & Architecture Collection > Researching an Architectural Structure

Resources in the Map Division

For the serious researcher, there may be information on buildings in New York city as well as other localities in the United States found in the Sanborn maps and other fire insurance and property atlases. These materials begin in the mid-nineteenth century and may offer street addresses, building footprints, dimensions, block and lot information, heights of buildings and materials used in construction.

The collection also includes other property maps of New York City, especially Bromley, Hyde, Perris, REDI, Robinson, in addition to the Sanborn maps, at the block and lot level from the 1850s to the present. Property evaluation and ownership data for all five boroughs is available on microfiche.