Department of Buildings, Manhattan Plans. NYC Municipal Archives.

Today’s For the Record kicks off a new series we are calling “These are a Few of Our Favorite Things.” The staff at the Department of Records has the lucky task of working directly with the historic materials held in the country’s largest archive, and every now and then they come upon a real gem. Usually, they snap a picture on their phone, maybe share with a colleague or two and then the image lingers in the cloud with all their other quick pics. “Our Favorite Things” aims to end that and share some of these little treasures with you. We hope to highlight some of our lesser-known collections and share the passion and dedication that our archivists and records professionals have as they work to preserve the history of New York City.

For our inaugural post, Cynthia Brenwall finds hidden art and messages where you might never imagine them to be.

We hope you enjoy!

Cynthia Brenwall: Unexpected Art and Hidden Messages in the Municipal Archives

During my tenure in the Municipal Archives, I have had the opportunity to see and work with, literally, thousands of bits of New York City history—the vast majority of piqued my interest in some way or another. I have worked with everything from vital records, architectural plans and the original drawings for the creation of Central Park, to seventeenth-century Dutch records, letters sent to mayors and giant ledgers from the Alms House.

My favorite thing is to find a hidden bit of art or a secret message. It happens more often than one would expect!

Department of Buildings Architectural Records

This collection contains building plans that show evidence of frequent handling over the years. On two of the plans for construction of the American Express Building at 65 Broadway, created by the architectural firm of Renwick, Aspinwall & Tucker in 1916, a clever workman used their artistic talents to draw tiny hands as pointers. Are they just doodles or are they directing a plan-user to something important?

In another instance, I found a message on the plans for grillage work on a building located at the corner of Mercer Street and Washington Place dating from 1903. On the back of the drawing by the architect Henri Fouchaux reverse, a small message reads “There are Very cold-hearted people in the world,” indeed.

Department of Parks Architectural Plans

My first assignment at the Municipal Archives was to help conserve the Central Park plan collection. These include three of my favorite little works of art. On a plan for the ornamental iron work on the ceiling the Terrace Arcade, a small detail has been transformed into toothy-grinned smiley face, or perhaps it is the man in the moon!

This detail of the ornamental ironwork on the ceiling of the Terrace Arcade includes the later addition of a mischievous grin from the left side of the plan. Department of Parks & Recreation collection, Central Park Plans, NYC Municipal Archives.

On a plan for a large fountain to be located on the Mall, architect Jacob Wrey Mould went so far as to draw the rings of the tree that would be used in the wooden supports for the structure.

Department of Parks & Recreation collection, Central Park Plans, NYC Municipal Archives.

It was Mould again who designed the ornamental bird cages that once lined the northern part of the Mall. In this little rendering he shows the curb and base of the cages that can still be found in the park today. The note states that there is to be a “small curb to keep toes off the hedge,” to which he replies “Yes! Decidedly.”

Brooklyn Street Opening Maps

This small collection of 84 maps documents the opening of new streets in Brooklyn from the 1830s through the 1870s. They often detail property ownership, lay out parts of the street grid for the towns of Brooklyn, and occasionally include lovely bits of artistic embellishment.

Dr. Prennell’s “beautiful farm” in the town of New Utrecht shows a new church, a horse-drawn carriage and a steamboat for trips to New York. And finally, one of my absolute favorite things is the small pen and ink drawing of a dog on the back of a map showing the 44 lots that made up Mt. Prospect in the 8th Ward of Brooklyn.

A Few of Our Favorite Things

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