HOW TO RESEARCH A NEW YORK CITY BUILDING






<PRE>
Compiled by 
Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, 
Columbia University Libraries

A) Named Buildings

  Look up the building in CLIO, and the Avery Library card catalog, using
one or more of the search strategies below:

      1) Search under the full name of the building in direct order.
    Ex: CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE (NEW YORK, N.Y.)

      2) If not found, look for the name under "New York (N.Y.)" plus name
of building.
    Ex: NEW YORK (N.Y.). CHRYSLER BUILDING.

      3) If the building has had more than one name, try all possibilities.
    Ex: FLATIRON BUILDING / FULLER BUILDING.

      4) If the building is known only by its address, try the spelled-out
form of the address.
    Ex: 154 EAST 89TH STREET (NEW YORK, N.Y.)
    i.e., filed in the card catalog as if spoken aloud and then spelled out
as One Fifty-Four East Eighty-Ninth Street.

     5) If it is unlikely that the building is the subject of an entire
book, try a broader subject category to find books that might have a chapter
or section on your building.
    Ex: NEW YORK (N.Y.)--CHURCHES     or APARTMENT HOUSES--UNITED
STATES--NEW YORK (N.Y.)

Also look up the building name in the Avery Index to Architectural
Periodicals.

    a.. Search the Avery Index for articles indexed since the 1930s or ask a
reference librarian for assistance. Printed volumes are available (Avery
Ref. AC C7724), in index area, but do not include the Avery call number.

    b.. Try other periodical indexes, especially the Royal Institute of
British Architects Architectural Periodicals Index for articles after 1979,
also available in print (Avery Ref. AB Ar2522, in index area).

B) Architects and Architectural Firms

    a.. If you know the name of the architect or firm, check in CLIO, the
Avery card catalog, and periodical indexes under this name.

    b.. Try biographical dictionaries for further leads, e.g.,

      a.. Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects (Avery Ref. AA 31 M223)
      b.. Contemporary Architects (Avery Ref. AA 40 C761)
      c.. Francis. Architects in Practice in New York City, 1840-1900 (Avery
Ref. AA 735 N4 F84)
      d.. Ward.Architects in Practice, New York City, 1900-1940 (Avery
Ref.AA 735 N4 W21)
      e.. Withey. Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased)
(Avery Ref. AA 736 W771)
    c.. If the architect or firm is not known, look up the building in the
AIA Guide to New York City (Avery Ref. AA 735 N4 Am35113, on reserve, and at
the Ref. Desk) or in another guidebook.

C) Landmark Buildings & Districts
  If the building is a landmark or part of a landmark district, check the
published reports of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, listed in CLIO
under:

  NEW YORK (N.Y.). LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION.
  or under keywords: landmark preservation [building name]


D) Buildings That No Longer Exist

    a.. Try browsing in older guidebooks, many of which are in the Avery
300-level stacks in the following call number range: AA 735 N4 ...
    Some important historical guidebooks are also shelved in the Reference
Collection, e.g.,

      a.. Stokes. Iconography of Manhattan Island (Ref. AA 735 N4 St61)
      b.. King's Handbook of New York City (Ref. AA 735 N4 K5811)
      c.. WPA Guide to New York City (Ref. AA 735 N4 1939 N48)

    b.. Look for historical photographs in the microfiche set Photographic
Views of New York City, 1870s-1970s (Avery Fx3 939). A three-volume index
(building names, street addresses, and subjects) is available (Avery Ref. AA
735 N4 In24).

    c.. Ask a reference librarian for help in locating rare materials, such
as view books and publicity brochures, which may or may not appear in CLIO
or the card catalog.

    d.. Look for published news reports and articles in contemporary
newspapers or journals, e.g.,

      a.. The New York Times Index, in the Butler Reference Department,
which covers 1851 to the present. Microfilms of the New York Times (and a
copy of the Index) are in the Microfilm Reading Room, 501 Butler.

      b.. Citations to New York Times articles and other newspaper and
magazine files are also available on-line. Most on-line databases only
include recent years (about 20-years), however.

E) Drawings, Plans & Archival Materials

    a.. The Avery Drawings and Archives Collection includes materials from
New York City architects. Use the Archives File (card catalog near Rare Book
Reading Room) and consult the Curator of Drawings or the Assistant to the
Curator (212-854-4110) for further information.

    b.. Consult the COPAR research guide, Architectural Research Materials
in New York City and the Five Boroughs (Avery Ref. AZ 200 C734) for archival
collections elsewhere in the city. This guide includes information about
using the Dept. of Buildings files in each borough.

    c.. For a Manhattan building, consult the Sanborn Manhattan Land Book
(on reserve at the Service Desk) to find out its block and lot number. This
information can then be taken to the Manhattan Dept. of Buildings (60 Hudson
St.) which may have documentation and plans of the building.

    d.. Consult a reference librarian for further suggestions or help.

 This information is from the following link.
<a href="http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/avery/nycbuild.html">http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/avery/nycbuild.html</a>

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