Archives & Library Special Collections
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Call Number: 1979.021
Extent: 3.75 Linear feet, in 9 document boxes.
This collection comprises the subject files of the Downtown Brooklyn Development Association. The association was founded in 1929 as a civic group concerned with the problems of the business and shopping center in downtown Brooklyn. The papers are news clippings, correspondence, brochures, newsletters, pamphlets, legislative documents, photographs, city plans and maps, and other items relating to organizations and causes with which the association was involved. The majority of the documents were produced by external bodies or individuals but were integral the association’s activities. The three subjects most comprehensively addressed are the development of the Brooklyn Civic Center (Cadman Plaza), the redevelopment of Fulton Street, and traffic and transportation.
Names:
- Downtown Brooklyn Development Association
- Blum, Robert E.
- Bourke-White, Margaret, 1904-1971
- Davenport, Henry J.
- Moses, Robert, 1888-1981
- Roscoe, Andrew S.
- Stamm, Godfrey A.
- Swift, Thomas A.
- Abraham & Straus
- American Red Cross
- Better Business Bureau of New York City
- Brooklyn Borough Hall (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn daily eagle
- Brooklyn Law School
- Brooklyn Public Library
- Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Company
- Citizens Budget Commission (New York, N.Y.)
- Citizens Union Foundation (New York, N.Y.)
- Citizens’ Zoning Committee, Inc
- Independent Subway System (New York, N.Y.)
- Interborough Rapid Transit Company
- New York (N.Y.). City Planning Commission
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Commerce and Industrial Development
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Correction
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Parks
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Public Works
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Traffic
- New York (N.Y.). Landmarks Preservation Commission
- New York Naval Shipyard
- Pratt Institute
- Regional Plan Association (New York, N.Y.)
- Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (New York, N.Y.)
- George Washington Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
- Holland Tunnel (New York, N.Y.)
- Lincoln Tunnel (New York, N.Y.)
- Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
- Prospect Park (New York, N.Y.)
- Throgs Neck Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
- Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Central business districts
- City planning
- Community centers — New York (State) — New York
- Courthouses — New York (State) — New York
- Ebbets Field (New York, N.Y.)
- Local transit — New York (State) — New York
- Parks — New York (State) — New York
- Post office buildings — New York (State) — New York
- Railroads, Elevated
- Transportation
- Urban renewal — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
- Blueprints (reprographic copies)
- Brochures
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Legislative hearings
- Maps
- Negatives (photographic)
- Newsletters
- Pamphlets
- Photographs
- Press releases
- Resolutions (administrative records)
- Speeches
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Call Number: V1988.012
Extent: 0.42 Linear feet, in one manuscript box.
The Otto Dreschmeyer Brooklyn slides date from 1965 to 1968 and contain 157 items. The collection is composed entirely of color slides taken by Dreschmeyer in Brooklyn, likely using a Hasselblad camera. Slides dated 1965 document the annual Brooklyn Memorial Day parade. Parade images center around Grand Army Plaza, showing the crowds near the Brooklyn Public Library main branch and Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch, along with parade marchers on Eastern Parkway. Several slides show the John F. Kennedy Memorial at Grand Army Plaza around the time of its unveiling. Slides of the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens are also included.
Later images in the collection feature docks and beach scenes from Sheepshead Bay and Coney Island in Brooklyn, and Rockaway Point in Queens. Coney Island scenes document the boardwalk and associated attractions such as the Cyclone, Wonder Wheel, and Parachute Jump. Views of Coney Island from the ocean, as well as night views and fireworks displays are also included. Lastly, the collection contains views of Lower Manhattan and New York Harbor from Brooklyn, including the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, South Ferry in Manhattan and the Staten Island Ferry.
Otto Dreschmeyer (1896-1983) was a resident of the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens.
Names:
- Dreschmeyer, Otto
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Brooklyn Public Library
- Staten Island Ferry
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Coney Island (New York, N.Y.)
- Eastern Parkway (New York, N.Y.)
- Grand Army Plaza (New York, N.Y.)
- Manhattan (New York, N.Y.)
- New York Harbor (N.Y. and N.J.)
- Rockaway Beach (New York, N.Y.)
- Sheepshead Bay (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Beaches — New York (State) — New York
- Docks — New York (State) — New York
- Ferries — New York (State) — New York
- Fireworks — New York (State) — New York
- Parades — New York (State) — New York
- Recreation — New York (State) — New York
- Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch (New York, N.Y.)
Types of material:
- Color slides
- Photographs
- Slides (photographs)
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Call Number: ARC.235
Extent: 53.5 Linear feet, in 87 oversize manuscript boxes, 12 record cartons, and 10 flat boxes
The bulk of the collection includes documents supporting the assessments to be levied for sewer projects; the binders of this material include maps of the blocks and lots relevant to a sewer project, lists of property owners, and certifications. The bulk of the assessment binders are from the twentieth century (circa 1900-1960), but there are also many binders from the late nineteenth century. There are a few assessment binders from prior to the 1880s, with the earliest dating from 1859.
Other materials in the collection include blueprints of sewer projects and designs, field books concerning special sewer structures, notes on land valuation assessments, journals of work on particular projects, materials test results, and other matter. The bulk of this other material is from the early decades of the twentieth century, up to the 1930s. The latest material in the collection are excavation notices from the late-1980s.
Names:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). Bureau of Sewers
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Real property — New York (State) — Kings County
- Sewer districts — New York (State) — Kings County
- Sewerage — New York (State) — Kings County — Design and construction
- Tax assessment — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Blueprints (reprographic copies)
- Cadastral maps
- Correspondence
- Logs (records)
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Call Number: ARC.263
Extent: 94.55 Linear feet, in 7 manuscript boxes and 85 flat boxes
The Pierrepont family papers (1761-1918) document the intersection of commercial, civic and personal interests across three generations of one of the most prominent and influential families of nineteenth century Brooklyn, New York. The bulk of the collection concerns the business dealings of Henry Evelyn Pierrepont from 1838 to his death in 1888. This especially includes an extensive set of accounting and transactional records concerning the Pierrepont Stores, the family’s warehouse on Brooklyn’s East River waterfront; these include records of ships arriving at the Stores and their cargoes delivered. Additionally, there are substantive correspondence, legal documents and other materials concerning the Union Ferry Company, of which Henry was an officer. In addition to commerce and shipping, a major theme of the collection is that of land acquisition in Brooklyn Heights and at the adjacent waterfront in the early nineteenth century, and the development of that property over the course of the century. Included in the collection are correspondence, deeds, indentures, leases, accounting records, diaries, maps, invoices, receipts, business proposals, legal filings, clippings, and historical and genealogical manuscripts.
Names:
- Pierrepont family
- Pierpont, Hez. B., 1768-1838
- Pierrepont, Henry Evelyn, 1808-1888
- Pierrepont, Henry Evelyn, 1845-1911
- Pierrepont, John Jay, 1849-1923
- Brooklyn Heights Railroad Company
- Covered Tube Cable Railway Co. (Brooklyn, New York, NY)
- Long Island Historical Society
- Nassau Cable Railway Company of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, New York, NY)
- Pierrepont Stores (Brooklyn, New York, NY)
- Union Ferry Company (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Maps
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- East River (N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Bonded warehouses and goods — New York (State) — New York
- Business enterprises — New York (State) — New York
- Ferries — New York (State) — New York
- Imports — New York (State) — New York
- Landowners — New York (State) — New York
- Real estate development — New York (State) — New York
- Real property — Ownership — New York (State) — New York
- Shipping — New York (State) — New York
- Waterfronts — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
- Account books
- Cadastral maps
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Daybooks
- Deeds
- Diaries
- Indentures
- Invoices
- Journals (accounts)
- Ledgers (account books)
- Manuscript maps
- Manuscripts (document genre)
- Scrapbooks
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Long Island Historical Society Quarterly, 1939-1942; The Journal of Long Island History, 1961-1969 and 1973-1982
From 1939-1942, 1961-1969, and 1973-1982, the Brooklyn Historical Society (known then as the Long Island Historical Society) published a periodic journal, called the Long Island Historical Society Quarterly in 1939-42 and, in the later years, The Journal of Long Island History. The journals include articles on historical topics concerning Kings, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties. Many of the articles, especially in the 1939-1942 volumes, include full or partial transcriptions of account books, correspondence, deeds, tombstone inscriptions, and other manuscripts from the BHS collection and elsewhere. While there is a wide range of subject matter, perhaps best-represented in the journal are articles concerning the colonial period through the 19th century, American Revolution, Civil War, and African-American history. No appointment is necessary to use the journals in the BHS library.
Brooklyn Land Conveyance Collection, ca. 1699-1896. 375 Linear feet.
The Brooklyn Land Conveyance collection documents Brooklyn land transfers from the late 17th Century through to 1896. Organized by block, these abstracts show seller (grantor) and buyer (grantee) information. Please note that these are just abstracts, not the actual deeds. In many cases these abstracts are the only records for these early land transactions that have survived. The New York City Department of Finance has abstracts and deeds for property transfers post-1900.
To find out the block number for a specific address, just enter the address into the New York City Department of Buildings’ online database.
Subjects:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Land titles – Registration and transfer
- Land tenure – United States – History
An appointment is not necessary to view materials from this collection, you may use them anytime the library is open to the public.
Brooklyn Roads, 1825-1883. 3 boxes, 0.5 linear ft.
ArMs 1977.337
This is a collection of petitions from citizens, reports, contracts, surveys, and assessment notices for public improvements in the City of Brooklyn. Nearly all of the items were addressed to the Brooklyn Common Council and then referred to the Assessment, Law, or Street committees.
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The Civitas Club Collection, 1893-1993 (Bulk Dates: 1893-1960). 6 document boxes (2.7 cubic feet).
ArMs 1977.324 and 1993.008
The Civitas Club Collection traces the history of the Civitas Club of Brooklyn, New York. The club was founded in 1893 in Brooklyn Heights as a women’s social group dedicated to “awaken an interest in matters pertaining to municipal welfare, and to foster all movements within the circle of its influence that have for their end the improvement of any phase of civic life.” The Civitas Club and its members were politically and socially active throughout its century of existence. Members were encouraged to present papers, make their voices heard within the community, and gain knowledge of timely issues through the lectures and debates sponsored by the club.
The collection traces these activities, the organization of the club, and the more social ventures of Civitas, illustrating the functions of a women’s club and the development of women’s political voice through the twentieth century. The bulk of the collection concerns the first two decades of the twentieth century and the decade immediately preceding the club’s 75th anniversary (celebrated in 1968). Included in the collection are minutes, meeting and program announcements, financial records, and memorabilia.
Access Points:
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- Clubs – New York (State) – New York
- Lectures and lecturing – United States
- Long Island Historical Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Political Clubs
- Social group work
- United States – Politics and government
- Women – Societies and clubs
- Women in charitable work
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Brooklyn Firefighting Collection, 1825-1949 (Bulk Dates: 1850-1900). 33 cubic feet (10 document boxes, 14 records cartons, 44 unboxed ledgers).
ArMs 1989.006
The Brooklyn Firefighting Collection comprises records of firefighters, their organizations, and activities in the village, city, and borough of Brooklyn from 1825 through 1945. The bulk of the collection covers a span of over one century, during which time firefighting in Brooklyn evolved from a six man volunteer force to a paid department employing over ten-thousand men. Firefighting played an important social and political role in early Brooklyn, and the influence of firefighters and firefighting associations is tracked in this collection. The materials in the collection offer insight into the development of firefighting practices during the nineteenth century and illustrate how Brooklyn’s massive nineteenth century population growth and the city’s growing prominence as a seat of industry affected the city’s need for a reliable and modern fire department.
The files in this collection represent a portion of the material generated by several Brooklyn and King’s County volunteer fire companies and by related local, county, state, and national organizations, between 1825 and 1949. The bulk of the material spans the time period between 1850 and 1900. Included in the collection are: appointments, bids, bonds, broadsides, certificates, circulars, clippings, communications, contracts, correspondence, deeds, drawings, estimates, ledgers, letters, minutes, notices, orders, petitions, receipts, recommendations, regulations, reports, requests, resolutions, rolls, rosters, speeches, and telegrams.
Subject Headings:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Engine companies – New York (State) – New York
- Fire departments – New York – Brooklyn
- Fire departments – equipment and Supplies
- Fire departments – Law and legislation – New York
- Fire departments – New York (State) – New York
- Fire engines
- Fire extinction – New York – Brooklyn – History
- Fire extinction – Long Island – History
- Fire fighters
- Fire fighters – New York – Brooklyn
- Fire fighters – Pensions – New York – Brooklyn
- Fire stations – New York – Brooklyn
- Fires – New York – Brooklyn
- Ladder companies – New York (State) – New York
- Municipal services – New York (State) – New York
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Recently Added Collections
- John Kissam papers, 1778-1823; 1864-1868
- 90th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Association papers, 1862, 1882-1897
- Women’s Alliance of the First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn records, 1922-2004
- Collection of Brooklyn, N.Y., Civil War relief associations records, ephemera and other material, circa 1798-1964
- Brooklyn Heights, South Africa, and Germany photograph album, circa 1890s-1930s
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