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: V1984.001
Extent: 0.8 Linear feet, in three binders and seven folders.
The Brooklyn slide collection dates from 1963 to 1978 and contains 1,471 items. Slides in this collection are duplicates of original photographs, illustrations, manuscripts, maps, museum objects, and books from the collections of the Brooklyn Historical Society and other sources. The collection is arranged by subject, including aerial views, American Revolution and Battle of Long Island sites, the Army, banks, bridges, Native Americans in Brooklyn, churches, clubs, fire companies, post offices, hotels, docks, mills, the Navy, portraits, schools, neighborhoods, and public transit, and the Long Island Historical Society (now known as the Brooklyn Historical Society). In addition to these subjects, the collection contains tax photographs of buildings along Flatbush Avenue and cross streets from Downtown Brooklyn to Prospect Heights. Neighborhoods documented in the collection include Bay Ridge, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Coney Island, Flatbush, East New York, Fort Greene, Gravesend, Park Slope, and Williamsburg. Images of Prospect Park, Grand Army Plaza, and Green-Wood Cemetery are also included.
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Types of material:
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Call Number: 1986.008
Extent: 0.2 Linear feet, in four folders
This collection contains items about various Brooklyn and New York historical events, including: one novelette entitled Crow Step about the Dutch in Brooklyn during the American Revolution, circa 1909 by Georgia Fraser; miscellaneous publications and clippings, dated 1917-1936, relating to Brooklyn families and events including the Bushwick Riot of 1696; and Hyde’s Pocket Map of Queens, dated 1908.
Names:
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Bushwick (New York, N.Y.)
- Queens (New York, N.Y.)
- United States — History — Revolution, 1775-1783
Types of material:
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Manuscripts (document genre)
- Maps
- Publications
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Call Number: 1986.036
Extent: 0.84 linear feet, in two manuscript boxes
This collection contains deeds, bonds, mortgages, maps, letter books, and other legal documents pertaining to residents of Brooklyn and Queens, N.Y. generated by the C. and T. Perry law firm. The firm was located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where the majority of its clients lived.
Names:
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Law firms — New York (State) — Kings County
- Lawyers — New York (State) — Kings County
- Real estate business — New York (State) — Kings County
- Real property — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Bonds (legal records)
- Legal documents
- Letter books
- Maps
- Mortgages
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Call Number: V1974.003
Extent: 3.42 Linear feet, in one manuscript box and three record cartons.
The Praeger Department of Parks survey and photographs date from 1934 and measure 3.42 linear feet. The Praeger survey documents every park, playground, and gore in New York City at the time of the study, as well as undeveloped land owned by the parks department. The survey and photographs show the parks of New York City on the eve of improvements and development funded by the Works Progress Administration.
Names:
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Parks
- Praeger, Emil
Places:
- Bronx (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Manhattan (New York, N.Y.)
- New York (N.Y.)
- Queens (New York, N.Y.)
- Staten Island (New York, N.Y.) — Maps
Subjects:
- Landscape photography — New York (State) — New York
- Parks — New York (State) — New York
- Playgrounds — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
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Call Number: 1977.621
Extent: 0.08 Linear feet, in one folder
A handwritten transcription of a description of land divisions on Assups Neck, Southampton, Long Island dated August 14, 1691. The transcription was created on April 30, 1842 and is signed by the Southampton clerk.
Names:
Places:
Types of material:
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Call Number: ARC.057
Extent: 0.1 Linear feet, in 3 folders
The collection documents the archaeological excavation of a parcel of land on which Cadman Plaza was subsequently built, carried out by amateur archaeologist Terry Lymon and a team of assistants in the summer of 1965. Materials in folder 1 consist of Mr. Lymon’s field notes from the excavation, including carefully detailed diagrams of the dig site itself, drawings and descriptions of the structures and artifacts uncovered during the excavation, and a typewritten document that summarizes the contents of the collection and provides a brief biographical sketch of Mr. Lymon.
Folder 2 contains a narrative history of the Cadman Plaza excavation site, as well as brief biographical sketches of the other excavation participants, both handwritten by Mr. Lymon. Also included in this folder is a photocopy of a typewritten proposal for a more formal, professionally-led excavation of the Cadman Plaza site. This document is dated January 17, 1966 and was written by John S. Kopper, Curator of the Henry Whitefield State Museum in Guilford, CT. It is not known if this project was ever undertaken.
Folder 3 consists of 46 black-and-white photographs taken by Mr. Lymon during the excavation. The photographs depict the dig site itself, as well as some of the structures uncovered during its course. All of the images have notes on the verso that explain briefly what is depicted in each. Individuals assumed to be members of the excavation team are depicted in some of the images, though they are not identified by name in the verso notes.
Little is known about Terry Lymon, the donor and creator of the materials that comprise this collection. Mr. Lymon was a resident of Brooklyn during the 1960s, and he claimed to have been a Native American from New Jersey whose Native American name was Kalitarawana. He was a self-taught amateur archaeologist who supported his hobby by working odd jobs. In the summer of 1965, Mr. Lymon and several assistants undertook an archaeological excavation of the parcel of land bounded by Fulton, Middagh, and Henry Streets, which had recently been razed for the construction of Cadman Plaza. In the course of their excavation, the team uncovered several cisterns and dry wells, as well as many artifacts, including bottles, ceramics, and a pair of men’s pants dating from the 19th century. Mr. Lymon, along with two of the excavation team members, Martin Schneider and Dwight Demeritt Jr., presented their findings at a lecture hosted by the Long Island Historical Society on September 20, 1965.
Names:
- Kopper , J.S.
- Lymon, Terry
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- Cadman Plaza (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Excavations (Archaeology) — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
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Call Number: 1974.129
Extent: 1.67 Linear feet, in one oversize box.
A hand-colored, illustrated map of part of the town of Flatbush in Brooklyn, made by Teunis G. Bergen while he attended school in Flatbush (presumably at Erasmus Hall Academy).
Teunis G. Bergen (1806-1881) was a Brooklyn surveyor and historian who served as New Utrecht town supervisor from 1836 to 1859 and as a Democratic congressman from the Second District.
Names:
- Bergen, Teunis G., 1806-1881
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Flatbush (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Surveyors — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
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Call Number: 1977.350
Extent: 1.67 Linear feet, in one oversize box.
This collection contains eleven Photostats of property maps and architectural drawings relating to property of the Wyckoff family in Flatlands. The maps and drawings detail original Wyckoff properties, purchases from Canarsie Indians, and other sales throughout the period 1628 to 1901. The Photostats date from 1973. Also included is The Wyckoff House: Its History and Structure by Oppenheimer, Brady, and Associates for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
The Wyckoff family was a prominent Brooklyn family descended from Pieter Claesen Wyckoff, one of the most influential leaders during 17th-century settlement in New Amsterdam. Claesen-Wyckoff and his wife, Greitje van Ness, eventually settled in Flatlands, Brooklyn, in what is now the historic Wyckoff Homestead. Claesen-Wyckoff and his wife had a total of eleven children, who married into several different families, creating a vast and complex genealogy spanning the entire country.
Names:
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Parks and Recreation
- Wyckoff family
- Wyckoff House & Association
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Dwellings — New York (State) — Kings County
- Indians of North America — New York (State) — Kings County
- Real property — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Architectural drawings
- Histories
- Land titles — New York (State) — Kings County
- Maps
- Volumes (documents by form)
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Call Number: 1977.293
Extent: 0.2 Linear feet, in eight folders
The Verazzano-Narrows Bridge collection spans the period 1964 to 1965 and measures 0.2 linear feet. The materials in the collection document the construction and opening of the bridge’s upper deck in 1964 and include programs for the grand opening ceremonies, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, maps, press releases, event invitations, and other memorabilia and ephemera.
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. The bridge is named for the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, the first known European explorer to enter New York Harbor and the Hudson River, and for the body of water it spans, called the Narrows. Construction on the bridge began in the summer of 1959 and the bridge’s upper deck was opened in November of 1964. The lower deck of the bridge was completed in 1969. The construction of the bridge was the last major project overseen by New York State Parks Commissioner and Head of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, Robert Moses.
Names:
- Italian Historical Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Staten Island (New York, N.Y.)
- Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Bridges — New York (State) — Kings County
- Public works — New York (State) — New York
- Transportation — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Ephemera
- Invitations
- Maps
- Pamphlets
- Press releases
- Programs (documents)
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