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Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs
Art & Architecture Collection
New York City Architecture: how to research a building
Researching a New York City building can be daunting and complicated. Based
on the handout for the Investigating
New York City Architecture Class from the Art & Architecture
Collection of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, this guide will
introduce you to the vast number of resources relating to the architecture
of New York City that are in the collections of the New York Public Library,
as well as other institutions.
The reference works in this guide, along with selected reference tools can
all be found in the Miriam & Ira
D. Wallach Division of Art & Architecture (Room 300) or in the collections
of the Milstein Division of
United States History, Local History & Genealogy Division and the Lionel
Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division of the Library.
Compiled by Vincenzo Rutigliano, Art & Architecture Collection, 08/08
Landmark Buildings and Districts
When starting your research, you should
verify if the building is a landmark or located in a landmark district. If
so you should access the very detailed designation reports by the Landmarks Preservation
Commission, which “explain the architectural, historical and cultural
significance of an individual landmark or historic district”
A quick way to find out if your building is a landmark is by looking at the
following guidebooks of New York City:
Diamonstein, Barbaralee.The
Landmarks of New York: an illustrated record of the city's historic buildings. New
York: Monacelli Press, 2005.
Dolkart, Andrew. Guide
to New York City Landmarks. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2004.
The Landmarks
Preservation Commission is the New York City agency that is responsible
for identifying and designating landmarks. On their website you may access
recent and some historical designation reports for individual landmarks
and historic districts
The Neighborhood
Preservation Center and the Landmarks Preservation Commission have
joined together to provide access to all the designation reports, beginning
in 1965 to the present. This is an ongoing project, so reports are still
being posted
To learn more about the great undertaking of the preservation of buildings
of New York check out the book: Preserving
New York: winning the right to protect a city's landmarks by Anthony
C. Wood
Guidebooks
A
guidebook may provide basic information on the building, its address, architect,
area (neighborhood/district), as well as information on buildings that no longer
exist or street name changes
The AIA Guide to New
York City is a great place to start your research, along
with the following:
Federal Writers’ Project. New
York City Guide. New York: Octagon Books, 1970 [c1939].
Hart, Harold H. Hart's
Guide to New York City. New York: Hart Pub. Co., 1964.
King, Moses. King's
Handbook of New York City. Boston, Mass, 1893.
Rider, Fremont. Rider's
New York City. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1924.
Silver, Nathan. Lost
New York. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1967.
Stokes, I.N. Phelps. The
Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909. Mansfield, CT:
Martino Fine Books; Union, NJ: Lawbook Exchange, 1998 [c1915-1928].
White, Norval. AIA Guide to New York City. New
York: Crown Pub., 2000.
WPA Guide to New York
City. New York: The New Press, 1992 [c1939].
Architects and Architectural Firms
If the name of the architect
or firm is known, the following biographical resources may provide further
information:
American Architects
Directory. New York: R.R. Bowker Co., 1956-1970.
Artist
Files. A clippings file of ephemera on microfiche,
located in the Art & Architecture
Division, Room 300. It provides entries for architects, as
well as architectural firms.
Avery Library. Avery
Obituary Index of Architects. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1980.
Biography and Genealogy Master
Index. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1980-.
Online database available onsite in the HSSL Library
Contemporary Architects. 3rd
Edition. New York: St. James Press, 1994.
Francis, Dennis Steadman. Architects
in Practice, New York City, 1840-1900. New York: The Committee,
1980.
King, Moses. Notable
New Yorkers of 1896-1899. New York: M. King, 1899.
Macmillan Encyclopedia
of Architects. New York: Free Press, 1982.
Ward, James. Architects
in Practice, New York City, 1900-1940. Union, NJ: J & D
Associates, 1989.
Withey, Henry F. Biographical
Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased). Los Angeles:
New Age Pub. Co., 1956.
New York Architecture
General New York City architectural
history books are excellent sources for information on architects and architectural
styles. They are heavily illustrated with images of city buildings:
Andrews, Wayne. Architecture
in New York: a photographic history. New York: Atheneum,
1969.
Architectural Research
Materials in New York City: a guide to resources in all five boroughs.
New York: The Committee, 1977.
Balfour, Alan. New
York. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Academy, 2001.
Boyer, M. Christine. Manhattan Manners: architecture
and style, 1850-1900. New York: Rizzoli, 1985.
Breeze, Carla. New York Deco. New
York: Rizzoli, 1993.
Gayle, Margot. Cast-iron
Architecture in New York: a photographic survey. New York:
Dover Publications, 1974.
Gillon, Edmund Vincent. Beaux-Arts Architecture in New
York: a photographic guide. New York: Dover Publications,
1988.
Goldstone, Harmon H. History Preserved: a guide to
New York City landmarks and historic districts. New York:
Simon and Schuster, 1974.
Gray, Christopher. New York Streetscapes: tales
of Manhattan's significant buildings and landmarks. New
York: Harry N. Abrams, 2003.
Kathrens, Michael C. Great Houses of New York, 1880-1930.
New York: Acanthus Press, 2005.
Lockwood, Charles. Bricks & Brownstone;
the New York row house, 1783-1929. 2nd Edition.
New York: Rizzoli, 2003.
Lowe, David. Art Deco New York.
New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2004.
Marshall, Bruce. Building New York: the rise and
rise of the greatest city on Earth. New York: Universe,
2005.
New York Architecture, 1970-1990. Edited by Heinrich Kolz
with Luminita Sabau. New York: Rizzoli, 1989.
Olenick, Andy. Historic New York: architectural
journeys in the Empire State. Rochester, NY: Landmark Society
of Western New York , Inc. in conjunction with Preservation League
of New York State and New York State Council on the Arts, 2006.
Reynolds, Donald M. The
Architecture of New York City: histories and views of important structures,
sites, and symbols. New York: J. Wiley, 1994.
Silver, Nathan. Lost
New York. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1967.
Stern, Robert A. M. New
York 1880: architecture and urbanism in the gilded age.
New York: Monacelli Press, 1999.
Stern, Robert A. M. New
York 1900: metropolitan architecture and urbanism, 1890-1915.
New York: Rizzoli, 1983.
Stern, Robert A. M. New
York 1930: architecture and urbanism between the two world wars.
New York: Rizzoli, 1987.
Stern, Robert A. M. New
York 1960: architecture and urbanism between the Second World War and
the Bicentennial. New York: Monacelli Press, 1995.
Stern, Robert A. M. New York 2000: architecture and
urbanism between the Bicentennial and the Millennium. New
York: Monacelli Press, 2006.
Stokes, I. N. Phelps. The Iconography of Manhattan
Island, 1498-1909. Mansfield, CT: Martino Fine Books; Union,
N.J.: Lawbook Exchange, 1998.
Tauranac, John. Elegant
New York: the builders and the buildings, 1885-1915. New
York: Abbeville Press, 1985.
Wolfe, Gerard R. New York: a Guide to the
Metropolis: walking tours of architecture and history.
New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
Wood, Anthony C. Preserving
New York: winning the right to protect a city's landmarks.
New York: Routledge, 2008.
New York History
Books
on the history of New York City may provide information on architectural styles
or architects working during specific time periods. They are also well illustrated:
Ashton, Dore. New York. New York:
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1972.
Burrows, Edwin G. and Mike Wallace. Gotham: a history of New York
City to 1898. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Deak, Gloria-Gilda. Picturing
New York: the city from its beginnings to the present. New
York: Columbia University Press, 2000.
Dunshee, Kenneth Holcomb. As You Pass By. New
York: Hastings House, 1952.
Edmiston, Susan.Literary
New York: a history and guide. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
1976.
The Encyclopedia
of New York City. Edited by Kenneth T. Jackson. New York:
New York Historical Society, 1995.
Kouwenhoven, John Atlee.The
Columbia Historical Portrait of New York: an essay in graphic history
in honor of the tricentennial of New York City and the bicentennial
of Columbia University. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1953.
Kroessler, Jeffrey A.New York Year by Year: a chronology
of the great metropolis. New York: New York University
Press, 2002.
Rock, Howard B.Cityscapes:
a history of New York in images. New York: Columbia University
Press, 2001.
Trager, James. The
New York Chronology: the ultimate compendium of events, people, and
anecdotes from the Dutch to the present. New York: HarperResource,
2003.
Walsh, Kevin. Forgotten
New York: views of a lost metropolis. New York: Collins,
2006.
Zuba, Jesse.
Bloom's Literary Guide to New
York. New York: Checkmark Books, 2007.
Apartment Houses
The
apartment buildings of New York helped shape the construction of 1920s Manhattan. These
books will contain information on the apartments of New York City with photographs
and floor plans:
1913 supplement to the World's
loose leaf album of apartment houses... New York: World,
1913.
Digitized version available in our Digital Gallery at 1913
Supplement to the World's Loose Leaf Album
Alpern, Andrew. Apartments for the affluent:
New York's fabulous luxury apartments. New York: Dover Publications,
1987, c1975.
Alpern, Andrew. Historic Manhattan Apartment
Houses. New York: Dover, 1995.
Alpern, Andrew. Luxury Apartment Houses of Manhattan:
an illustrated history. New York: Dover, 1992.
Alpern, Andrew. New York's fabulous luxury apartments:
with original floor plans from the Dakota, River House, Olympic Tower,
and other great building. New York: Dover Publications,
1987, c1975.
Apartment Houses of the Metropolis. New
York: G.C. Hesselgren Pub. Co., 1908.
Digitized version available in our Digital Gallery at Apartment
Houses of the Metropolis.
"Classic
6": New York City Apartment Building Living, 1880s-1910s.
Views and floor plans for apartment buildings within New York City. A digitized
version is available in our Digital Gallery at "Classic
6": New York City Apartment Building Living, 1880s-1910s
Cromley, Elizabeth C. Alone Together: a history of
New York's early apartments. Ithaca: Cornell University
Press, 1990.
Douglas Elliman (Firm). The Douglas Elliman Locator:
plans of the principal apartment houses east and south of Central Park. New York, 1923.
Esten, John. Manhattan style. Boston:
Little, Brown, 1990.
Hawes, Elizabeth. New York, New York: how the apartment
house transformed the life of the city (1869-1930). New
York: A.A. Knopf, 1993.
Norton, Thomas E. Living it up: a guide to the
named apartment houses of New York. New York: Atheneum,
1984.
Pease & Elliman. Pease & Elliman's catalogue
of East Side of New York apartment plans. New York, 1925.
Pease & Elliman. Pease & Elliman's catalogue
of East Side New York apartment plans. New York, 1929.
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.
Select Realty Register, Inc. The Select Register of Apartment
House Plans, New York City. New York: Select Realty Register,
1957-.
Sexton, Randolph Williams. 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.
The 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. New
York: World, 1910.
Digitized version available in our Digital Gallery at The
World's Loose Leaf Album of Apartment Houses
Office Buildings and Skyscrapers
In the 1800s, church spires were the
dominant viewpoints. Today, towering office buildings and skyscrapers shape
the skyline. The following books describe pertinent architects, buildings, and
dimensions:
Abramson, Daniel M.Skyscraper Rivals: the AIG Building
and the architecture of Wall Street. New York: Princeton
Architectural Press, 2001.
Ballard, Robert F. R. Directory
of Manhattan office buildings. New York: McGraw-Hill,
1978.
Bennett, David. Skyscrapers:
form & function. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.
Brockmann, Jorg. One Thousand New York Buildings. New
York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2002.
Landau, Sarah Bradford. Rise
of the New York Skyscraper, 1865-1913. New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1996.
Nash, Eric Peter.Manhattan
Skyscrapers. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2005.
Real Estate Books and Periodicals
The real estate industry
of New York City is vast and its records may contain information on the property,
building, architect with photographs and floor plans:
A History of Real
Estate, building, and architecture in New York City during the last
quarter of a century. New York: Arno Press, 1967.
Real Estate
Brochure Collection of the Milstein Division of United States History,
Local History and Genealogy
Images and information for hundreds of large New York City (principally
Manhattan) office and apartment buildings in the form of original real estate
prospectuses and pamphlets
Real
Estate Resources at SIBL
A research guide by the Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL)
Library Catalogs
Library
catalogs maybe used to locate books and materials on a particular building,
neighborhood, architect or architectural firm, as well as drawings, papers
and archives:
Online catalog for the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library of Columbia
University
Online catalog of Libraries throughout the United States and International
Databases
The following resources may be used to locate pamphlets, images, drawings
and plans within articles in newspapers, magazines and journals. These are
subscription based databases that may only be accessible within the HSSL Library building:
Provides full-text articles for over 1,000 magazines, journals and newspapers
published between 1740 and 1940. It contains access to the architectural
periodical American Architect and Building News from 1876 to 1908
and its predecessor the American Architect from 1909 to 1921
Full-text access to American newspapers published from 1690-1922
Index to articles in major art and architecture magazines and bulletins
from 1929-1984. It is preceded by Art Full Text for
1984 to the present
- Avery Index
to Architectural Periodicals
An index to architectural periodicals, which includes archaeology, decorative
arts, interior design, furniture, landscape architecture and city planning,
as well as architects’ obituaries. The best resource to obtain information,
drawings, plans and photographs on a building
- New York Times
Provides complete full-text access to the articles of The New York
Times from 1851 to the present. A treasure trove for locating obituaries
and Department of Buildings notices for new buildings
Access to the full-text articles from the New York Tribune, 1900-1910. The
database 19th Century
Masterfile provides an index to the New York Daily
Tribune from 1875-1906
- Proquest
Historical Newspapers
Searchable full-text articles from the New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993), New
York Times (1851-2004), New York Tribune (1900-1910), Wall
Street Journal (1889-1990), and the ProQuest Civil War
Era database that includes the New York Herald (1840-1865)
and thousands of magazine articles published from 1740 to 1940
- Wall Street
Journal
Archive to the full text pages of the Wall Street Journal from 1889-1990
Digital Images and Maps
The following links are to websites that contain digitized photographs
and maps of New York City completely available online:
Architecture
and Interior Design for 20th Century America: photographs
by Samuel Gottscho and William Schleisner, 1935-1955
Comprised of over 29,000 images of interiors and exteriors of buildings
and structures in the United States, especially New York City. The collection
located in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress
is accessible online
Early
Real Estate Atlases of New York
Over 2,000 maps of New York City, including Manhattan and Brooklyn "fire
insurance maps" from the 1850s-1860, showing streets, blocks, tax
lots, natural and manmade features, and much more
New York City Map Portal
Provides access to maps, data and applications for a building, property
or community, as well as neighborhood statistics
NYPL Digital Gallery
Digitized images of the New York Public Library that contains
access to the following collection of photographs: 1913 supplement to the World's
loose leaf album of apartment houses...; Apartment
Houses of the Metropolis; "Classic
6": New York City Apartment Building Living, 1880s-1910s; Photographic
Views of New York City, 1870s to 1970s; and The
World's Loose Leaf Album of Apartment Houses
Picture Collection
Online
A collection of over 30,000 digitized images from the Mid-Manhattan Picture
Collection of The New York Public Library
Photographs, Ephemera and Clipping Files
Through the years differing
institutions collected all types of ephemeral materials on the neighborhoods
and boroughs they served. Here are some of the more richly accessible
collections:
The Irma and Paul
Milstein Division of United States History, Local History & Genealogy
(Room 121)
A vast collection of photographs and clippings of New York City made up
of the following:
Photographic
Views of New York City, 1870s to 1970s - over
54,000 photographs arranged by borough and street, now accessible
online at http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/
Collection
of Photographs of New York City by the Wurts Brothers
Lloyd Acker Collection
of New York City Photographs 1935-1975
New York City Clippings Files
New York CityIllustrations File Card Index
Scrapbooks, postcards and clippings by street and neighborhoods
Real Estate Brochure Collection
Municipal
Archives
Access to several very important microfilm collections made up of the following:
Department
of Taxes Photographs (1939 to 1941) - every building in the
five boroughs of New York City were photographed for valuation of real
property
Photographs,
1889-1956
WPA-Federal
Writers' Project - photographs (1936 to 1943) that were taken
to illustrate New York City guidebooks Borough President Collections
(Manhattan, Bronx and Queens – photographs (1900s to 1950s) taken to
document construction of parks, beaches, highways, public buildings
etc…
New York Historical Society
An extensive collection of materials relating to New York City that consists
of prints, photographs, architectural drawings, maps, atlases and directories
Museum of the City of New
York
Access to the Byron Collection a database that consists of over 22,000 photographs
of New York City taken by the Byron Company between 1890 and 1942
Artist
Files
A clippings file of ephemera on microfiche, located in the Art & Architecture
Division, Room 300. It provides entries for architects, as well as
architectural firms
Picture
Collection at Mid-Manhattan Library
A collection of images located at the Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection of the
New York Public Library
Blueprints, Plans and Maps
In obtaining a floor plan for a building
can be a bit of a struggle, but here are some of the best places to go
about locating a plan:
Department of Buildings
Maintain files containing construction applications, building permits, architectural
drawings, blue prints and plans. Their Building Information System (BIS)
provides a property overview, as well as violation and complaint information,
actions and inspections. They began keeping records from 1865 onward and
the boroughs began in 1898
Avery Index
to Architectural Periodicals
An index to architectural periodicals, which includes archaeology, decorative
arts, interior design, furniture, landscape architecture and city planning,
as well as architects’ obituaries. The best resource to obtain information,
drawings, plans and photographs on a building
Municipal
Archives
Microfilm collections of the Department of Buildings docket books, landbooks,
and records for new building and alteration applications for Manhattan from
1866 to 1959. Also the Assessed Valuation of Real Estate 1789-1979 collection
that contains the name of the owner (or occupant) with a description of the
property and its assessed valuation, which is useful for structures built prior
to the Department of Buildings in 1866
Lionel Pincus
and Princess Firyal Map Division(Room 117)
Bromley and Sanborn Maps, Fire Insurance Maps, Block and Lot Maps, and Property
Atlases, which will provide information on a building from the dimensions,
buildings footprint and materials used in construction
Sanborn Maps,
1867-1970
Provides online maps for towns and cities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. An
online database available onsite in the HSSL
Library
Books on Architectural Firm or Building
There may be a book or pamphlet on the building, architect or architectural
firm. Search the Libraries online catalog, CATNYP by the name of the building (unless
known by address) or the name of architect under ‘Subject‘, ‘Author’ or ‘Keyword’
Artist
Files
A clippings file of ephemera on microfiche, located in the Art & Architecture
Division, Room 300. It provides entries for architects, as well as
architectural firms
Art Index RetrospectiveIndex
to articles in major art and architecture periodicals and bulletins from
1929-1984. It is preceded by Art Full Text for
1984 to the present
Ownership: mortgages and deeds
If all places fail in locating information
on a building, then perhaps the following resources may be able to shed
some light on your address:
Office
of the City Register
Access to Conveyance Records (deeds and mortgages), which may include
information about: when the building was built, parties to the sale, buildings
on the site, material used for construction and the name of the architect
ACRIS
Search property records and view the documents online for Manhattan,
Queens, Bronx, and Brooklyn from 1966
to the present
Property Shark
A property and real estate website that is searchable by address, borough
and block level. Registration is required and a subscription needed for
more than four searches per day
Mighty Maps
Online database that is searchable by address, intersection, block and
lot, borough or map. Reports on NYC buildings and property including owners,
tax liens, auctions, foreclosure sales, zoning, land use, lis pendens,
building permits, tax values and comparables. Includes data on building
residents and businesses. Professional edition is accessible onsite at SIBL through
subscription.
Municipal
Archives
Access to the microfilm collection of the Assessed Valuation of Real
Estate 1789-1979 which contains the name of the owner (or occupant)
with a description of the property and its assessed valuation. Especially
useful for structures built prior to the Department of Buildings in 1866
Libraries
Check
with local branch libraries, which may contain files or clippings of materials
about the neighborhoods they serve:
City Agencies
Department of Buildings (DOB)
Maintain files containing construction applications, building permits,
architectural drawings, blue prints and plans. Their Building
Information System (BIS) provides a property overview, as well
as violation and complaint information, actions and inspections. The DOB
began keeping records from 1865 onward, the boroughs began in 1898
Municipal
Archives
Important microfilm collections that include the Department of Buildings
docket books, tax records, land books and records for new building and
alteration applications for Manhattan from 1866 to 1959. A wonderful photographic
collection of New York City consisting of the Manhattan Borough President's
Photograph Collection, the Tax Photographs (every
building in the five boroughs was photographed between 1939 and 1941).Also
the Assessed Valuation of Real Estate 1789-1979 collections that contains
the name of the owner (or occupant) with a description of the property
and its assessed valuation, which is useful for structures built prior
to the Department of Buildings in 1866
Office
of the City Register
Access to Conveyance Records (Deeds and Mortgages), which may include
information about: when the building was built, parties to the sale, buildings
on the site, material used for construction and the name of the architect
Historical Societies
Bronx County Historical Society
Collects all forms of historical material relating to The Bronx, including
photographs, slides, atlases and maps. The archives also maintain documents,
manuscripts, books, maps and city directories going back to pre-Civil War
days, as well as an enormous collection of 19th and early 20th century
photographs, prints and postcards of The Bronx
Brooklyn Historical
Society
A significant collection of historic maps
and atlases, which include several hundred historic Brooklyn atlases
from the 19th and 20th century and copies
of the block-by-block Brooklyn land conveyance records (dating back to
the late 1600s). A database of 30,000 images and a collection of
materials on the history of Brooklyn that includes bound volumes, images
and manuscripts. A microfilm collection of Brooklyn and Long Island
newspapers from the nineteenth and early twentieth century
New
York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society has an extensive
collection of materials relating to New York City. They have an excellent
collection of prints, photographs, architectural drawings, maps, atlases
and New York City Directories
Queens
Historical Society
A research center that maintains a library
and archive of primary and secondary source materials from maps, atlases,
manuscripts, photographs, documents, family papers and ephemera on the
history of Queens
Museums, Institutions and Universities
Avery
Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University A collection
of architectural drawings and archives for New York City architects.
They maintain an online Collections
List that may be consulted for further information. Appointments
must be scheduled to view these materials
Museum of the City of New YorkA
wonderful collection of photographs and prints of New York City from the
nineteenth century to the present
Research Guides
These additional guides
may help anyone who is beginning to research a building in New York City:
Building & Construction: Finding Related Industry And
Technologies Resources by the Science, Industry
and Business Library of The New York Public
Library
A Guide to Architectural Research at NYHS by the New York Historical Society
A Guide to Research Resources in New York City by the Landmarks Preservation Commission
Guide
to Researching the History of a New York City Building by Christopher Gray and the New York Society Library
Hints on Researching New York City Buildings a word document by Andrew S.Dolkart
How to Research a New York City Building by the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic District
New York City Buildings: Research Guide by the Avery Architectural & Fine
Arts Library, Columbia University
Real Estate Resources at SIBL by the Science, Industry and Business
Library of The New York Public
Library
Washington Heights to Battery Park City: Researching Buildings
in New York City by the Mid-Manhattan Art Collection of the New York Public Library
Images Online
1913
supplement to the World's loose leaf album of apartment houses...
Digitized version of the “1913 Supplement to the World's Loose Leaf Album” (New
York: World, 1913) available in our Digital Gallery
Apartment Houses of
the Metropolis
Digitized version available in our Digital Gallery at Apartment
Houses of the Metropolis.
Architecture
and Interior Design for 20th Century America: photographs
by Samuel Gottscho and William Schleisner, 1935-1955
Comprised of over 29,000 images of interiors and exteriors of buildings
and structures in the United States, including New York City. The collection
located in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress
is accessible online
"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
Historic
American Buildings Survey (HABS)
The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American
Engineering Record (HAER) are collections that document the architecture,
engineering and design of structures in the United States from the Prints
and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. HABS and HAER collections
include: measured drawings, photographs, transparencies, written histories
and supplemental materials
NYPL Digital
Gallery
NYPL Digital Gallery provides access to over 600,000 images digitized from
primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public
Library, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters,
prints, photographs, illustrated books, printed ephemera and much more
Old York Library
Contains books, maps, images, newspapers and memorabilia of New York City. Chronicles
the history, geography, architecture, culture, politics and many other aspects
that tell the story of New York City
Photographic
views of New York City, 1870's-1970's
More than 54,000 New York City archival photographs from the 1870s-1970s,
primarily consisting of exterior building views and neighborhood scenes from
the 1910s-1940s. Tip: search by street and cross street
Picture Collection Online
A collection of over 30,000 digitized images from The New York Public Library,
Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection
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.
Digitized version of “The World's Loose Leaf Album of Apartment Houses” (New
York: World, 1910) available in our Digital Gallery
Internet Resources
Building
Permits Database, 1900-1986 Digitized access to the building permit
applications of New York City (Manhattan) from 1900-1986.It is searchable by
address, owner, architect, building type and several other fields
Mighty Maps
Professional edition is accessible onsite at SIBL through
subscription. Searchable by address, intersection, block and lot, borough or
map. Reports on NYC buildings and property including owners, tax liens, auctions,
foreclosure sales, zoning, land use, lis pendens, building permits, tax values
and comparables. Includes data on building residents and businesses
New York Architecture Images
and Notes
A website that provides information on the architecture, styles and images
of New York
New York City Map Portal
Provides access to maps, data and applications for a building, property or
community, as well as neighborhood statistics
New York City Property
Research/Property Shark
Property and real estate website searchable by address, borough or block level.
Registration is required and a subscription needed for more than six searches
per day
New York City Skyscrapers
A study of New York City's skyscrapers, which have given the city much honor
and prestige
Reed Design
Reqistry
Search for architecture firms and businesses in the United States. The American
Institute of Architects (AIA) has derived it from their complete ProFile database
and ProFile, the Architects Sourcebook. In the Web version you can search for
firms by name, location, key personnel, special focus, and services.
Royal Institute of British Architects
(RIBA)
Provides an index to architectural periodicals from 1979 to the present
Classes, Lectures & Tours
Municipal Art Society
A non-profit organization that promotes urban design, planning, contemporary
architecture and historic preservation. They provide walking tours and lectures
on the architecture of New York City
Gotham Center for New
York City History
A public center devoted to the history of New York, the Gotham Center is part
of the City University of New York's Graduate Center
Investigating
New York City Architecture Class at The New York Public Library
A free class on researching the architecture of a building in New York City.
The class introduces print and online resources within the collections of The
New York Public Library, as well as resources in other New York City institutions
