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NYC Department of Records & Information Services - History
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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 By many standards, this practice is considered outdated a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.
George Washington in New York: The First Presidential Mansion — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
At 12:30 p.m. on April 30, 1789, a military escort arrived at Franklin House in lower Manhattan to conduct president-elect George Washington to Federal Hall where, about ninety minutes later, he took the oath of office as the first President of the United States. The current Federal Hall, which re
The Phony and the Crackpot at City Hall, by Stanley H. Howe — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
The For the Record blog has frequently commented on the serendipitous nature of archival research. Thanks to imperfect descriptions and the sometimes haphazard filing practices of record-creators, researchers are often rewarded with seemingly random items. The typescript featured this we
Langston Hughes, The Writer’s Position in America — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Continuing our celebration of WNYC’s 100th Anniversary and in honor of Black History Month, we present this 1957 recording of Langston Hughes discussing the challenges faced by Black writers from a National Association of Authors panel discussion “The Writer’s Position in America.” The themes he dis
The Condemnation Photographs — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
The Municipal Archives photograph collections are renowned and widely valued for their comprehensiveness. For example, the tax photograph series includes pictures of every house and building in all five Boroughs circa 1939 and 1985. As useful as they are, however, they depict only buildin
John Glenn, the First American to Orbit the Earth — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
On July 8, 1924, radio station WNYC made its inaugural broadcast from a studio at the top of the Municipal Building. During 2024, For the Record will celebrate the centennial of one of the nation’s first municipally-owned radio station with a series of articles featuring historical audio
Stables and Auction Marts - Building Plans with Horses — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
A recent For the Record article, Horsepower the City and the Horse introduced the topic of the horse and its profound influence on virtually all aspects of city life. Expanding on this theme, For the Record looked at how the horse informed many of the design elements of Central Park in Drives
Radio Row and the Fight for Lower Manhattan — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
It has been said that nobody loved the Twin Towers until they were gone, and that is certainly true of the residents and business owners of the Manhattan neighborhood known as Radio Row. One of many such “Radio Rows” in cities throughout America, New York City’s was the largest and one of the oldest
The Playboy Plot — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
As an intern at the Municipal Archives this fall, it has been my privilege to help process the NYPD Intelligence Records, aka the Handschu collection. Very large—more than 520 cubic feet—and in high demand, this collection is made up of records created by a unit of the New York Police Department I
Drives, Rides, and Walks—Horses in Central Park — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
For more than one hundred fifty years visitors to New York’s Central Park have enjoyed picturesque vistas, rolling meadows, peaceful lakes, and a variety of charming architectural features. Until recently, these pastoral scenes would have also included horseback riders cantering along the bridle pa
Remembering Rosalynn Carter — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Following her death on November 19, 2023, many news stories, obituaries, and reminiscences about former first lady Rosalynn Carter remarked on her exceptional role as confidant and advisor to Jimmy Carter throughout their more than seven decades of married life. “Serving as an equal partner to her h
Happy Thanksgiving — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in 1924 with a parade of store employees and live zoo animals. Balloons were introduced to the parade in 1927. Here is a selection of photos taken by former staff member Ryan Rahman of the 2016 parade. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
The National Museum of the American Indian — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
On April 12, 1988, New York City Mayor Edward Koch issued a press release announcing plans for the Museum of the American Indian to relocate its exhibition space from Audubon Terrace in upper Manhattan to the U.S. Custom House at Bowling Green in lower Manhattan.
A Spanish-American War Mystery — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
For Veterans’ Day, we are highlighting an interesting group of glass lantern slides from the Queens Borough President collection. The slides are mostly scenes of soldiers working, relaxing, and playing at an army camp in a rural setting. In our online gallery they are simply listed as “Twenty-four v
United the Boroughs: The Triborough Bridge — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
In late October 2023, the Department of Records and Information Services and the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority opened a new exhibit: “Uniting the Boroughs, The TriBorough Bridge.” Consisting of images from the archives at both agencies, the exhibit showcases the thirty-year project to build
Preserving the Ghosts of New York City — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
New York City loves its holiday seasons. Whether it is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Lunar New Year, or the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center, New Yorkers participate in major seasonal celebratory touchstone events. Halloween is no exception, and what better pastime to celebrate t
Marriage Contracts — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
October is Family History month. In recognition of this popular pastime and the many valuable genealogy resources at the Municipal Archives, For the Record explores the origins and intellectual content of the Marriage Contract collection. There are 8,616 items in the series; the bulk of the mate
The Closing of Sydenham Hospital — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
At the start of 2018, the Municipal Archives began digitizing its vast and varied audiovisual collections, including lacquer discs, films and tapes from municipal broadcasters WNYC Radio and TV, surveillance films created by the New York Police Department (NYPD) and early cable television programmin
The Entire Expense Should Be Borne by the Federal Government: A 1913 Report from the Commissioners of Accounts — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
A recent search for reports about immigration in the Municipal Library, showed that the earliest report in the collection was issued by the Office of the Commissioner of Accounts in 1913. Sent to the Honorable Ardolph L. Kline, Mayor, the subject was the treatment of indigent aliens, free of charge,
The United Nations in New York City — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
This week, the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly convened at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. According to the official United Nations website, “World leaders gather to engage in the annual high-level General Debate under the theme, ‘Rebuilding trust and reigniting
Loew’s Canal Street Theater — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
For the Record has followed progress of the Manhattan Building Plans processing and rehousing project in several articles, most recently, Manhattan Building Plans Project - The Seaport and Financial District. This week, For the Record highlights the original plans for the Loew’s Canal
Community Gardens — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
At summer’s end, New Yorkers lucky enough to have a plot in a community garden are enjoying the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. This week, For the Record examines the Municipal Library’s vertical files to tell the story of community gardens. And it’s a classic New York tale, with
The First Labor Day, September 5, 1882 — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
Labor Day is observed on the first Monday in September. It serves to recognize the social and economic achievements of American workers. It has been a national holiday since 1894, but according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated in New York City, on September
Women’s Equality Day 2023: Embrace Equity — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
“After I decided to write this tribute, I was beset with feeling inadequate to the task of expressing what Ketriana has meant to so many people, including me. What adjectives are adequate to describe the full range of Ketriana’s multi-talented, multi-faceted lived experience that has uplifted the li
The Aerial Views of Robert Moses — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
By the late 1950s, Robert Moses, the legendary “power broker,” was at the peak of his decades-long career in public service. He served, simultaneously, as Commissioner of the Department of Parks, City Construction Coordinator, Chairman of the Mayor’s Committee on Slum Clearance, Commissioner on the
Perseverence: Gertrude Ederle Swims the English Channel — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
New Yorkers are known for their perseverance. During the hot summer months, residents have endured polluted waters, jellyfish, riptides, lifeguard shortages, and most recently, shark attacks, when searching for somewhere to enjoy a cooling swim. On August 27, 1926, almost
What We're Working on Now: Indexing Felony Indictment Files — NYC Department of Records & Information Services
On November 25, 1878, Richard Plunkett wrote to a Mr. W. D. Sloane from his jail cell in “The Tombs” prison. “I will once again appeal to you for mercy not for myself but for my poor old father & mother who is on the brink of the grave and for my poor wife and two little ch