Moving the Archives

The need for a new climate-controlled space for the City’s historical records has long been recognized. In 1986, the Municipal Archives leased warehouse space in Brooklyn’s Bush Terminal complex for off-site storage of archival material. Although the waterfront area was desolate and the warehouse did not provide optimal storage conditions, the space was far superior to the previous off-site location in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. More recently, Bush Terminal has been rebranded as Industry City and the entire Sunset Park neighborhood has been revitalized.

Researchers visiting the new Municipal Archives Industry City facility will have panoramic views south and west. NYC Municipal Archives, January 2020.

Now, after years of planning, construction of a new facility is finally underway. Upgrading the current space while still occupying it would have been nearly impossible, so we are moving—but just a short distance, to an adjoining building in the Industry City complex. Even though the distance is not great, the task is Herculean. The tentative move-in date is September 2020.

Raw space is being cleared for construction of the Municipal Archives Industry City facility. NYC Municipal Archives, January 2020.

The Archives’ space will be spread across three floors and is adjacent to DORIS’ Records Management Division’s storage center. Both divisions will share modern office space on the 7th floor. The facility will also include a public research room which will greatly reduce the transfers of archival materials to and from Manhattan for patron access. A digital laboratory with stations for films, videotapes, negatives and paper documents is another feature of the new space and will help facilitate the growing digitization initiatives of the Archives.

Climate-controlled storage rooms, including a walk-in cold storage vault for negatives and film, will protect the collections from the deteriorating effects of inappropriate temperature and humidity levels. State-of-the-art filters will also eliminate harmful atmospheric pollutants. A conservation lab will allow for the on-site treatment and isolation of mold-damaged or infested materials. In all the storage rooms, new custom-built, high-density shelving will help protect materials and allow for a greater storage capacity in a smaller footprint. Concentrating the materials in this manner will reduce rent costs and lessen the energy draw of the climate-control systems. But of course, the build-out is just one part of this task, the move is the other.

The concrete floors are being prepped for construction of the Municipal Archives Industry City facility. NYC Municipal Archives, January 2020.

As anyone who has ever relocated from one apartment or house to another can tell you, moves are stressful. They are also an opportunity to take stock of what you have, rediscover things you’ve forgotten, and re-evaluate some of the things you’ve been hanging onto for no apparent reason. Over the past three years, municipal archivists have been surveying and re-appraising collections, and conservators have been preparing condition reports. The current facility suffers from drafty windows, peeling paint, and dust accumulated over ages. Many collections were transferred from filthy warehouses and never cleaned. Archives staff have begun the process of reboxing and cleaning every single item that needs it. It is estimated that approximately 50% of the collections will be re-boxed, a total of over 70,000 new containers. Recycling the old boxes is itself an enormous task. In addition, every single ledger on open shelves (50,000 total) will be vacuumed, and eventually every object will be barcoded. And then, the 140,000 cubic feet of historical records will be moved from one building to another.

At the end of process, we will have greater control over our collections, they will be in better storage containers and in a better storage environment, and we will have a public footprint in Brooklyn.

Construction of the Municipal Archives Industry City facility has commenced. Municipal Archives, January 2020.

Future blog posts will update this continuing saga.

Conserving Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge Plans

The New York State Library recently awarded a grant to the Municipal Archives Conservation Unit to perform much needed treatments on large-scale drawings and plans for Central Park and the Brooklyn Bridge.

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Brooklyn Approach, East River Bridge, 1892. Wilhelm Hildenbrand, Brooklyn Bridge Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Lindsey Hobbs pasting out a sheet of Japanese tissue with wheat paste for lining a Brooklyn Bridge drawing.

These two icons of New York are among the most important public works achievements in the city’s history. Beyond the technological and design innovations, the bridge and park have become symbols of the city itself. The more than 200 drawings that are the subject of the grant exhibit the remarkable level of detail and artistry that went into the planning and construction of each structure.

The project focuses on the largest items in each collection, some of which are 34 feet long! Conservation staff are undertaking a variety of activities to assess and stabilize these delicate materials.  These include mending and lining fragile drawings, stabilizing media, washing to remove harmful degradation products, reducing stains from mold and other sources on some of the most important drawings, as well as creating new housings for long-term storage.

The grant funding also supported the purchase of a Zeiss stereo microscope with a digital camera, and portable UV lights. This equipment allows conservation staff to analyze drawing media and supports, assess mold and other types of damage, and take high quality images of fine details, all of which will inform the treatment methods chosen. Additionally, the lab was able to purchase a large mono-stand for photographing oversized collections, both for documentation of the treatments performed as well as to provide another source of research access to these large, unwieldy objects.

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Clare Manias and Sara Bone surface cleaning a Brooklyn Bridge drawing.

The Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park plans comprise some of the most treasured collections at the Archives. Dating from 1850 to 1934, the Central Park plans provide complete documentation during the critical stage of the park’s design and construction from 1850 to 1880. The collection includes renderings of everything from landmark structures like the Boathouse, Belvedere Castle, and Sheepfold to a three-level circulation pattern for people, horses, and vehicles.  The oversized drawings included in the grant project detail the design of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History, gates and entrances to the park, paths and walkways, drainage systems, and other elaborate details.

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Conservators Clare Manias and Sara Bone prepare to photograph a Brooklyn Bridge drawing.

The Brooklyn Bridge collection documents the original construction and subsequent alterations of the 1,596-foot steel suspension bridge connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn. At the time of its completion in 1883, the bridge was the longest in the world and was an important technological achievement. The total 8,706 drawings in the Bridge collection span from 1867 to 1938.  They were produced by architects and engineers who developed techniques for bridge construction that were unknown or considered unproven among their profession at that time. Many of the drawings in the collection are the work of the most celebrated American engineers and architects of the nineteenth century, such as John and Washington Roebling, George McNulty, and Wilhelm Hildebrand. The largest of these drawings is over 34 feet in length.

The drawings and plans in both the Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge collections have similar characteristics. They represent a variety of media (watercolor, graphite, inks, crayon, and photo-reproductive processes) and supports (tracing paper, watercolor paper, cloth-lined paper, and tracing cloth).  Unfortunately, improper storage and handling over the decades prior to acquisition by the Archives has led to physical damage to varying degrees in the form of acidic and deteriorated supports, flaking media, iron gall ink damage, and tears and fractures.

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Clare Manias and Sara Bone photographing a Brooklyn Bridge drawings in sections.

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Assistant Architect Wilhelm Hildenbrand included some delightful details in his 1877 plans for the Brooklyn Bridge. Conservation staff spotted these two almost microscopic figures enjoying themselves on the bridge. A gentleman in a top hat appears to be serenading a lady holding a parasol.

One of the greatest challenges of treating these materials is simply moving them back and forth from and within the lab. Conservators Sara Bone, Clare Manias, and I have developed a workflow for carefully shifting and transporting the drawings using light, but sturdy, foam board to support their weight. We have also refined methods for photographing, cleaning, and performing various treatments on a much larger scale than we are generally accustomed to. Planning each move in advance, and of course teamwork, are key to safely maneuvering these massive and very delicate drawings.

The ultimate goal, as with most of the work we do in Conservation, is to make the oversized drawings safer to handle, more accessible to researchers and well-preserved for the future. As the project moves forward in the coming months, we will continue to learn a great deal about the collections and further refine our treatment methods. Given the many thousands of oversized maps and drawings in the Archives’ collections, these skills will no doubt be put to use again once this project is completed. Although challenging, the work will ensure the viability of these iconic materials for many generations to come.

Indexing the Dutch Records of Kings County

Nena Huizinga, a 4th year student at the Reinwardt Academie in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has spent the last four months at the Municipal Archives indexing Dutch colonial-era Kings County town ledgers.

Manhattan’s Dutch heritage has been long-recognized and the records of New Amsterdam have been transcribed, indexed and published. Less well-known is the Dutch origin of the towns and villages in Kings, Queens, Richmond and Westchester Counties. The Municipal Archives collection includes records of many of these communities dating to the Dutch colonial era and we have begun preserving and making them available.

This past summer, Harmen Snel and Hans Visser of the Stadsarchief, Amsterdam, visited the Municipal Archives. They examined the Kings County Dutch ledgers and took notes for an index that will greatly enhance the records value to historians.

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Nena Huizinga, a 4th year student at the Reinwardt Academie in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has spent the last four months at the Municipal Archives indexing Dutch colonial-era Kings County town ledgers. Photograph by Matthew Minor.

Kenneth Cobb recently spoke with Ms. Huizinga about her project:

KRC: Tell me about your background and how you found out about the Municipal Archives.

NH: I had originally intended to major in Cultural Heritage at the Academie. In the third year we must choose a minor, and I chose Archival Studies which was partly taught at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA) and the Reinwardt Academie. I now plan to graduate this summer with a dual degree. My work at the Municipal Archives is to fulfill my internship requirement. I had been studying about Dutch settlements and influence around the world—in Australia, Canada and the U.S. and through Mr. Snel I learned about the indexing project at the Archives.

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Town of Bushwick records entry from 1663. NYC Municipal Archives.

KRC: I understand that there are two parts to your assignment—indexing the Kings County Town ledgers, and mapping a plan for future collaboration between the various institutions in New York and the Netherlands that house Dutch colonial records. Let’s start with the first part of your work here. Tell me more about your assignment and what has been the biggest challenge?

NH: I am creating an index to nine ledgers in the Archives’ collection—three from the Town of Flatbush; two each from the town of Flatlands and New Utrecht; and one from Bushwick. They date from 1646 to 1849. The biggest challenge for me is reading the old Dutch language.

KRC: Is it true that the “old” Dutch language written in these ledgers is very different from modern Dutch and difficult to read?

NH: Yes, it is very difficult to read! Even the letters are different. This past summer, before coming to the States, I took a special course to learn how to read the old Dutch. I felt like a 5-year old learning to read again!

KRC: Are there entries or passages in the ledgers that stand out?

NH: For me, the references to Native-Americans are the most interesting. There are many mentions of Native-Americans in the books, but they are usually referred to as ‘savages’ or something negative like that, but every once in a while they would write out their names and I found that very moving.

KRC: What were the interactions between Native-Americans and the colonists about?

NH: Mostly about property—usually a dispute of some kind.

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Names of the Native Americans are among others given in the Flatlands book page 19: “In dato juny anno sesthien hondert sesendaertich is ten overstaen van directeur en raden van Nieuw Nederlant vercocht en getransporteert door de indianen met namen: Tenkirau, Ketamun, Arrikan, Awachkouw, Warinckekinck, Wappittawaekenis, Ghettin.” Roughly translated: “In June sixteen hundredth and thirty-six in attendance of the director and councils of New Netherland sold and transported by the Indians with the following names: Tenkirau, Ketamun, Arrikan, Awachkouw, Warinckekinck, Wappittawaekenis, Ghettin.”

KRC: How do you go about indexing the ledgers?

NH: First, I read the text to determine what sort of document it is, such as deed, or will, or petition. Then I write down the names, interesting topics and geographical places, such as Middelwout (Midwout), Schoenmakersbrug (Shoemakers bridge) and Vlackebos (Flatbush). I try to add as much as possible, but in some cases the writing is hard to read or the pages are much too faded to make any sense of it. The index will be in alphabetical order and followed by the page numbers, using the surnames first, like so: van Ekelen, Johannes, 235.

KRC: And the second part of your assignment – the collaboration plan?

NH: Yes, I am also working on a report about all the Dutch colonial records that are located in various libraries and archives in this area. Here in New York City, I have visited the New-York Historical Society and Collegiate Church which both have Dutch records. And I traveled to Albany, where they have the records of New Netherlands. I also visited Historic Hudson Valley in Tarrytown, Westchester County.

My goal is to identify areas of interest and overlap between the repositories and conduct research on how to fund and set up a collaborative network like two in Europe: Netwerk Oorlogsbronnen and Europeana. I want to draw attention to the benefits that cooperation can bring. Who is it important to? What are the advantages and disadvantages of cooperation? And I will also discuss the importance of multiple perspectives and how that can be enhanced when working together with not only repositories that have Dutch colonial records, but, for example, to try and involve people from the Native American and the African American communities to show their perspectives in the records.

KRC: What part of the Netherlands are you from?

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Records of slave births in the town of Bushwick, 1814. NYC Municipal Archives.

NH: I am from a small town in Friesland, a region in the north, by the North Sea—there are only 2,000 people in the town. It is a farming area where they grow potatoes, onions and sugar beets. I moved to Haarlem for school, where I’ve lived the past three years.

KRC: We have a “Harlem” here too. What are your accommodations in NYC?

NH: I am staying in a kind of student apartment on West 46th Street, in Hell’s Kitchen. As it turns out, most of the other students in the house are also Dutch.

KRC: Had you ever visited NYC before?

NH: No. This is my first time here. I only knew New York from television and movies.

KRC: How has the reality differed from what you imagined?

NH: Well, it is less glamorous than I thought. I was a bit shocked by all the homeless people. And the streets, especially in my neighborhood, are not so clean. But all the people and the architecture of the buildings is great. And I love the museums—I’ve been to the Morgan Library, Museum of Modern Art, the Met, the Museum of the American Indian, and the Museum of Natural History.

KRC: Have you seen much evidence of our Dutch heritage in the City?

NH: Not in Manhattan, but out in Brooklyn where I recently walked around, I saw it everywhere in the street and place names. I also visited Greenwood Cemetery to look for the Dutch families I found in the ledgers, and yes, there they were!

Ms. Huizinga’s index project has included Dutch-language portion of the following Town ledgers:

-         Flatbush 1007, 1679-1819

-         Flatbush liber A 1000, 1670-1708

-         Flatlands 4000, 1674-1831

-         Flatlands Bergen, 1677-1849

-         Bushwick deeds, 1660-1825

-         New Utrecht 2001, liber A, 1659-1831

-         New Utrecht Deeds, 1646-1653

-         Flatbush 1001 Liber AA, 1676-1682

-         Flatbush No.1, 1652-1708

Look for digital copies of the ledgers to be added to the on-line gallery soon and we hope to continue the indexing project after Ms. Huizinga returns home to the Netherlands.

Official Mayoral Photographs

The photograph collections of the New York City Municipal Archives are deservedly well-known for their extensive documentation of the physical city—the buildings, streets, highways, bridges and parks. The 1940 and mid-1980s “tax” photograph collections are perhaps the best examples. But there are “people” pictures, too, most notably in the mayoral photograph collections.

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Charitable organizations made sure to stop by City Hall to promote their good works. Entertainers Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis visited with Deputy Mayor Charles Horowitz on behalf of the Heart Fund. March 14, 1952. Official Mayoral Photo #724, NYC Municipal Archives.

The Municipal Archives has recently started scanning a collection known as the “Official Mayoral Photographs, 1951–1965.” The first image in the series dates from January 18, 1951—approximately two months after Vincent Impellitteri took office as mayor following a special election on November 7, 1950. Impellitteri was elected to complete the term of William O’Dwyer who had resigned on September 2, 1950. (In accordance with the succession rule in the City Charter, City Council President Impellitteri took over upon O’Dwyer’s resignation and served as acting mayor from September 2, to November 14, 1950.)

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Children visiting City Hall were popular subjects for the official photographer. Deputy Mayor Charles Horowitz purchased a doughnut from Camp Fire Girls, March 12, 1951. Official Mayoral Photo #143, NYC Municipal Archives.

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Mayor Impellitteri received tickets to the Press Photographers Ball from comedian Ed Wynn and June Wurster, “Queen of the Ball,” March 30, 1951. Official Mayoral Photo #212-03, NYC Municipal Archives.

The official photographer was apparently stationed in City Hall, or nearby, and was assigned to document every swearing-in ceremony, special event, and visitor. The bulk of the images are taken in the mayor’s office or other City Hall rooms. Photographs of people posing on the City Hall steps and plaza and in the Park are well-represented in the collection. The photographer also shot events at Gracie Mansion and made occasional forays to other venues such as the Municipal Building, or mid-town hotels for gala luncheons and dinners. The photographer used a 4x5 view camera and each image was numbered and captioned.

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During the Cold War, City Hall frequently hosted displays of United States military readiness. Mayor Impellitteri ascended a scaffold to climb inside a U.S. Air Force FS-689-A fighter jet, May 19, 1951. Official Mayoral Photo #269-02, NYC Municipal Archives.

The “official mayoral photograph” collection serves as an almost daily photographic record of the Impelliteri administration. The official staff photographer tradition continued through Robert F. Wagner’s three terms as mayor, until December 30, 1965, his last day in office.

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Champion boxer Joe Louis conferred with Mayor Impellitteri in City Hall, October 31, 1951. Official Mayoral Photo #505-1, NYC Municipal Archives. Official Mayoral Photo #505-1, NYC Municipal Archives.

Further research is needed to determine why Wagner’s successor, Mayor John V. Lindsay (1966-1973), discontinued the practice of having a staff photographer assigned to his office. The Municipal Archives does include a collection of Mayor Lindsay images, but they do not provide a detailed daily record of City Hall events. Similarly, the Abraham Beame (1974-1977) collection is an eclectic mix of photographs. It was not until Mayor Edward I. Koch took office on January 1, 1978, that City Hall would once again have a staff photographer assigned to document the daily activities of the mayor.

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Scanning the estimated 10,000 images in the “Official Mayoral” collection has just started, but looking ahead to pictures from the Wagner administration finds the mayor with Cassius Clay in City Hall. Later known as Muhammad Ali, the gold-medal winning boxing champion had just returned from the Rome Olympic Games, September 9, 1960. Official Mayoral Photo #7577, NYC Municipal Archives.

The Official Mayoral photographs will be made available for research in the Archives gallery in batches as the scanning and metadata activities are completed. Look for highlights of the collection in future blogs.