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NYC Department of Records & Information Services - History
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Birthday Greetings, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge! — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Five hundred years ago, in a mission to find the Northwest Passage to Asia, Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazano sailed along the northeastern coast of North America. He voyaged from present day North Carolina, to Nova Scotia, and became the first European known to have sailed
Trivia Night at the Archives! — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Question 1: Infamous NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses left an indelible mark upon the landscape of NYC including each of the following projects except: 1964 World’s Fair Queensboro Bridge Gowanus Expressway Lincoln Center Question 2: Designed by C
A Wikipedia for Street Names — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Earlier this week, the Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) launched an interactive map , accessible on both desktop and mobile devices, to help people connect with the stories behind nearly 2,500 co-named streets, intersections, parks and other locations throughout the City. &a
Yankees v. Dodgers v. Giants — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Baseball fans know that the Yankees v. Dodgers games this week were not the first time the two faced off in the World Series. In 1941, the Yankees vanquished the Dodgers four games to one. At their next meeting in 1947, the Yankees won again, four games to three. The two teams dueled ten more times,
Race to the Top — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Municipal archivists processing records in the Manhattan Building Plans collection recently discovered blueprints submitted to the Department of Buildings in 1929 for construction of the Empire State Building. Completion of the iconic building in 1931 capped a mad race to build the tallest skyscrape
Open House New York — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
DORIS is pleased to participate in Open House New York again this year. We will be welcoming visitors to our headquarters in the beaux-arts Surrogate’s Courthouse at 31 Chambers Street, and we are also opening the doors to our storage and research facility at Industry City, Brooklyn.
Documenting Indigenous Peoples — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
In 1624, the sailing vessel Nieuw Nederland, sponsored by the Dutch West India Company, arrived at what is now Governor’s Island. The ship brought colonists who established a fur-trading post. In 1625, the settlers moved to what is now lower Manhattan along with an official akin to a sherif
Moses v. Tweed — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
In 1979, the Municipal Archives learned that 23 Park Row, its home for the previous decade, had been sold and would have to be vacated—pronto. Although space in the Surrogate’s Courthouse at 31 Chambers Street had been secured for the Department of Records and Information Services, including the Arc
Civil War Records, Orders for Relief of Soldier’s Families — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
On April 29, 1864, under “Ordinance of the Common Council,” Mrs. Mary Connell, mother of William Connell, a soldier in the 39th Regiment of Company F, was entitled to receive one dollar and fifty cents, weekly, until otherwise ordered. Mrs. Connell resided at 121 Mulberry Street, rear, 3rd floor, in
Enjoying and Researching City Parks — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
As summer 2024 draws to a conclusion, many New Yorkers will spend time in parks and park facilities throughout the city. Located on more than 30,000 acres of land—14 percent of the city—and comprising beaches, gardens, athletic fields, playgrounds, public pools, golf courses and historic house museu
Herman Melville’s New York — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
The name Herman Melville may conjure visions of adventures on the high seas, the “watery part of the world” in the author’s parlance, but Melville was very much a New Yorker for most of his life. He was born Herman Melvill in 1819 in a rooming house at 6 Pearl Street, the third of eight children. Th
WNYC celebrates — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
July 8, 2024, marked the 100th anniversary of municipal broadcasting for the City of New York. On September 9th, from 7-9pm, WNYC will celebrate with a live radio broadcast from SummerStage in Central Park . Hosted by Brian Lehrer, the event will include beloved voices from WNYC and a lineup of l
Labor Day, 1968 — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
For the Record readers are invited to take a virtual trip back to September 2, 1968, when New York Police Department photographers filmed the Labor Day parade. Nearly 100 floats with an eclectic array of unionized workers, including stage-hands, burlesque dancers, and a llama (union affiliation unc
The Handschu Collection — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
The Municipal Archives recently completed processing a significant portion of the New York Police Department Intelligence Unit records. Also known as the “Handschu” collection, the material totals 560 cubic feet and dates from 1930 to 2013. This exceptional material has already supported dozens of r
Bring the $5M with you. Two Eagles and a Post Office — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Eighty-six years ago today, on August 16, 1938, The New York Times reported “Demolition Begun at Old Post Office.” What brought us to this seemingly benign newspaper story?
Notes from Eleanor — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Defying archival practices, at some point the Department of Records and Information Services created a “Special Collection” which consists of historical City government records separated from a variety of other collections. Organized alphabetically, the trove is a hodge-podge of important documents
Manhattan Building Plans – Project Update — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
In 2018, with support from the New York State Library Conservation/Preservation Program, the Municipal Archives commenced a project to preserve and re-house approximately 100,000 architectural drawings and reproductions of buildings in lower Manhattan. Dating from 1866 through the 1970s, the plans c
“A True and Perfect Inventory” - The Municipal Archives Collection of 18th and 19th-century Estate Records, Part Two — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Last week, For the Record reviewed Estate Inventories and demonstrated how documents in the collection offer unique insights into Manhattan life from the era of George Washington’s presidency through the runup to the Civil War. Remarkably rich with detail, these records simultaneously rem
“A True and Perfect Inventory”: the Municipal Archives Collection of 18th and 19th-century Estate Records, Part One — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Lists of people’s possessions when they died—pretty dry stuff, right? Well, the files in the Municipal Archives’ collection of estate assets from 1786 to 1859 may be brittle with age, but the glimpses they offer into Manhattan life from the era of George Washington’s presidency through the runup to
Fireworks — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Fireworks have been a part of American celebrations for centuries. Independence Day festivities traditionally include pyrotechnic displays. Many communities in the metropolitan New York area have fireworks at their annual 4th of July observances. The largest, and reputed to be the most spectacular,
Preserving the Union: Military Records from the Town of New Utrecht — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
George William Stillwell enlisted in the Union Army on April 27, 1861. He fought in Civil War battles at Yorktown, Williamsburgh, Fair Oaks, and White Oak Swamp. Achieving the rank of Captain, he commanded a Regiment at the 2nd Bull Run, Fredericksburgh, under General Ambrose Burns
Flag Day — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
June 14th is recognized as Flag Day in the United States of America. Various states, including New York, set aside a day for honoring the flag beginning in the mid-1860s. On a national level, Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation naming June 14, 1915 “Flag day.” He calle
Re-discovering the Old Pennsylvania Station — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
“The razing of this station, McKim, Mead & White’s 1910 masterpiece of Beaux-Ars design, was one of the greatest traumas New York City ever suffered,” wrote New York Times architecture critic Herbert Muschamp, in 1993. Describing the demolition of Pennsylvania Station thirty-years
100 Years of WNYC — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Since 2015, the Municipal Archives has participated in the annual New York City Photoville festival. Photoville is a citywide two-week pop-up exhibit. The main venue is directly under the Brooklyn Bridge at the corner of Water and New Dock Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn. This year, it runs from June 1-
New York’s First Memorial Day — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Memorial Day, initially known as Decoration Day, originated with ceremonies in communities around the United States honoring soldiers who died in the Civil War. Several cities and towns lay claim to hosting observances between 1864 and 1867, but historians generally agree that the first wid
Looking for Yuri Kochiyama — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
For the Record articles have highlighted how to search for records of civil rights activist, Bayard Rustin , and queer activist, Marsha P. Johnson in Municipal Archives collections. This week, in honor of Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month, For the Record
May Day — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
May Day, or International Worker’s Day, originated during the 19th century in the United States, but observance in this country has greatly diminished in recent years. Labor Day is more widely celebrated to commemorate the strides made by labor activists. As recently as the 1970s, however, May Day m
WPA Federal Art Project Photographs — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
The Municipal Archives collection of photographs created and/or acquired by the New York City Unit of the Federal Writers’ Project has served as an essential and useful resource since its acquisition by the Municipal Library in 1943. For the Record featured WPA photographers Ralph de Sol
“I Say Its Spinach!” - Robert Moses, Master Letter Writer — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Robert Moses, long known as the “Master Builder,” could also be remembered as the “Master Letter Writer.” Evidence of his communication style can be found in many Municipal Archives collections. Always clear and direct, to-the-point and often quite blunt, Moses seemed not concerned whether he was in
We Shall All Be There: Dedicating Shea Stadium — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
On April 8, 1964, Robert Moses, then President of the New York World’s Fair Corporation, received an invitation to the upcoming dedication of Shea Stadium from City Parks Commissioner Newbold Morris. In his usual direct fashion Moses replied: “Many thanks. We shall all be there.”
The Curious Case of the Lighting of the Williamsburg Bridge — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Every now and then, while processing a collection, an archivist stumbles into a mystery that just needs to be solved. This is exactly what happened recently to our team cataloguing the Manhattan Building Plans collection at the Municipal Archives. The current portion of the ongoing gran
Recovering Women’s Names in DORIS’ Digital Collections — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Have you ever encountered a photograph on the Municipal Archives digital collections platform , where a woman is only identified by her husband’s name or her title, such as Mrs. Julius Ochs Adler or First Lady of Republic of Upper Volta? By many standards, this practice is considered outdated a
The New York City Civil War Draft Riot Claims Collection — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
The Municipal Archives holds numerous of collections relating to the city’s role in the American Civil War. Many relate to the fraught topic of service in the military, an issue that simmered at the intersection of immigration and racism, finally boiling over in New York in July 1863. Archives colle
“Hi-ya Dev!” New York City Welcomes Native Son Eamon de Valera — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
“Eamon de Valera, former Prime Minister of Eire, returned today to the city of his birth, arriving at LaGuardia Field from Shannon aboard the American Overseas airliner London Mercury at 4:58 a.m.” (The New York Post , March 8, 1948.) Born in New York City in 1882, the Irish leader devoted
A Woman of Firsts: Constance Baker Motley — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
This For the Record blog post expands on a brief article in the February 2024 edition of the Municipal Library’s newsletter. New York City can count many groundbreaking women among its residents and leaders. Few, though, have been as inspiring as Constance Baker Motley who should be celebrated mor
Finding Bayard Rustin — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Before watching the Netflix film Rustin , what I knew about Bayard Rustin, a key organizer and mastermind behind the March on Washington, was limited. I had only seen Rustin’s name mentioned in the organizational files of the New York Police Department (NYPD) Intelligence Records, also known as the
The Corporation Tea Room — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
The tall file cabinets in the Municipal Library, termed the Vertical Files, provide an unending glimpse of the workings of City government over centuries. One recent find, in the “City Hall” file is a typewritten report on expenses related to a tea room at the City Hall in 1800s.