History, Architecture and Land Use Resources: Uncovering the History of Your Place

Conducting historical, architectural, and land use research to tell the story of buildings and neighborhoods is a crucial first step in the preservation advocacy process. Use the following sources to pull together the records, photographs, and newsclipings that will allow you to find the story at the heart of your place. While many of the links below are specific to New York City, other cities may have similar resources and repositories. 

Zoning and Land Use Maps - Using your building’s address, find the block and lot number. This will be a useful identifier for the property that you can use to search in addition to the address going forward. 

• New York City's Zoning & Land Use Map (ZoLa)

Historic Maps - Comparing maps over time allows you to get an understanding of the date of construction, development of the neighborhood, transportation dynamics, and so much more. 

• NYC Fire Insurance, Topographic and Property Maps - Fire insurance maps are particularly helpful as they may indicate what the building was made out of and show additions or changes to the property over the years.  

Conveyance Records - Documenting the transfer of ownership of land, these records list the parties involved in the transfer, the date, and sometimes descriptive information about the property. 

• New York City Land Conveyances 1654-1851: What They Are and How They Work

Historic Photos

• NYC Tax Photos -  Photos of nearly every property in the city taken in the 1940s and again in the 1980s

• Old NYC Tax Photos - mapped onto 

Google Maps

• Photos 

• Satellite Images

   

Newspapers and Directories

Keep in mind:

• The current name of your area may not be the only one that will yield useful results when searching for historical information. For example, if you were researching a property in Astoria, it is important to note that at one point, Astoria was its own city, before being incorporated into Long Island City, and then the New York City, as well as the fact that it is part of the borough of Queens, and Queens County, and is on Long Island. Identify Indigenous and early Dutch or English names for the area, as well as any changes in neighborhood names over time. Searching using all of these names will likely pay off. 

• Similarly, street names and addresses may also change over time. Identify any alternative addresses and search them too.