Did you ever want to know who lived in your apartment decades or even centuries ago? Or who owned your building when it was first built? Or how old that warehouse on your block is, and what was there in, say, the 18th century? Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available online for you to satisfy that curiosity and gain a deeper understanding of your community and your city.
We’ve assembled these resources from city, state, library, educational, and other organizations — including our own — here for your research endeavors. The sites have been categorized for ease of use by topic:
Please note that, while there is a wealth of resources available for researching historic properties in New York City, record-keeping has not always been consistent over the years, and even good sources may have errors. You may need to cross-reference several sources to find the information you need, and cross reference to check that the information you’ve found is accurate and complete. Each repository has its own wealth of information.
Feel free to share any historical details you uncover that might be useful to Village Preservation’s efforts or any additional resources with us by emailing info@villagepreservation.org.
Building Histories and Construction Dates
The Landmarks Preservation Commission is the largest municipal preservation agency in the nation, and provides a wealth of resources on its website.
The NYC Department of Buildings enforces compliance with regulations and promotes worker and public safety through its review and approval of building plans, permitting and licensing functions, and inspections.
Our own East Village Building Blocks website features a unique block finder to uncover the history of each block in the community as well as guided tours and other resources.
The Office for Metropolitan History provides research on NYC buildings and embraces a synthetic approach to historical data, bringing together disparate sources in individual collections.
Among the thousands of maps the New York Public Library has digitized are Sanborn fire insurance maps, some of the most detailed city maps ever published.
Columbia University’s digital collections include The Real Estate Record, a weekly report of building activity in New York City and its environs published from 1868 to 1922.
Daytonian in Manhattan highlights stories behind the buildings, statues ,and other points of interest that make Manhattan fascinating.
Architectural Features
Columbia University’s New York Real Estate Brochure Collection consists of more than 9,200 advertising brochures, floorplans, and related materials that document real estate development in the city and environs from the 1920s to the 1970s
Use the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s HPD Online to find building data and information about complaints and litigation, property registration, violations and charges, and block and lot information.
Historic Photos
Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive highlights the history of the people and built environment of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo, and New York City in general.
The New-York Historical Society’s growing digital library now includes thousands of photographs of New York City, Revolutionary Era maps, and numerous other historical resources.
OldNYC provides an alternative means of browsing the NYPL’s incredible Photographic Views of New York City, 1870s-1970s collection.
Urban Archive is a platform for cities, museums, libraries, and urban explorers to enhance collection engagement and digital storytelling — and offers a range of photo-base tours from Village Preservation and others.
The wide-ranging digital collections of the Library of Congress includes images from the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey.
