In 1961, the exterior staircase to the eastern entrance of the Surrogate’s Court was lopped off when Centre Street was widened, and the vestibule fell into disuse. Around that time, there were plans to demolish the entire building as part of a “new” Civic Center proposal. Landmark designation of the Surrogate’s Court building in 1966 saved the building from further insult, and in the 1970s, the newly formed Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) moved its administrative staff into offices adjacent to the eastern vestible. In the early 1980s the agency moved all divisions into the building, with the Municipal Library (then called the Municipal Reference and Research Center) occupying the other side of the former Centre Street vestibule.
Charters in the Municipal Library
In recent times, New Yorkers have become accustomed to the appointment of charter revision commissions on an almost annual basis. According to a 1962 article in the Municipal Reference Library Notes by then-librarian Eugene Bockman, this is not unusual. Between 1898 and 1934 there were at least ten charter-revision commissions that examined and proposed a variety of changes in how the city operated.
This month’s edition of Library Notes included a brief bit about the reprint of the oldest charter in the Library which was issued by English Lieutenant Governor Dongan in 1686.
Manhattan Buildings Plans Update—the Financial and Seaport Districts
It is October, which means it’s Archtober, New York City’s Architecture and Design Month. Archtober is an annual celebration of architecture and design that takes place throughout the month. Organized by the Center for Architecture, in collaboration with over 100 partners and sponsors, the festival offers events ranging from daily building tours and lectures by design experts, to architecture-themed competitions and parties.
Ripples in the Broadcast Waves of History from WNYC-TV
The New York City Municipal Archives has recently completed a long-term project to digitize and make available 167 hours of WNYC-TV films, adding to the more than 400 hours of video available in the digital gallery. The most recently digitized films date from the late 1960s through the early ‘70s, a time of broad social changes accompanied by violence and assassinations of public figures. New York City government faced a rapidly shifting tax base and increasing public debt that would ultimately spiral out of control. The digitization of this visual record fills in more details of the city’s history during this tumultuous period. The following clips highlight some of the video digitized over the course of the project.
The Problem of Books
At a government repository such as the Municipal Archives there is no shortage of books. Ledgers, logbooks, meeting minutes, photographers’ notebooks, books of deeds, court proceedings, atlases, and many other bound volumes can be found in the collections. Some are robust and in good shape; others are delicate or damaged. The books range in size from small notebooks a few inches wide to volumes that can be measured in feet. Ledgers from the New York District Attorney from the late 1800s recently digitized in the Archives’ laboratory weighed as much as 35 lbs. each.
Brooklyn’s 370-Year Heritage of Stray Goats
During the 17th century, New Utrecht was one of several Dutch colonial settlements and the Town records during that period were written in Dutch. On March 16, 1648, the entry in [New Utrecht ledger title] is short and to the point: “The officer may seize and take possession of the goats which run without keepers, since they injure all the fruit trees and do other damage.” There were not further entries in the ledger concerning these marauding orchard raiders, but we can assume they were properly rounded up and returned to their home farms.