NEWSPAPER PRESERVATION RECIPE by Michael Knapp
Keeping newspaper clippings from turning brown and brittle is always a
concern for collectors and researchers. Here's a recipe for preserving
a newspaper clipping: *Dissolve a milk of magnesia tablet in a quart of
club soda. *Let stand overnight. *Pour into a pan with the flattened
clipping. *Soak one hour, remove, pat dry and allow to air dry.
*Estimated life: 200 years."

1977 blackout Blackout History Project
Stile
Brooklyn Acheology Interview Page
Brooklyn Church History 1628-1664
Brooklyn Community District 8 Profile
Brooklyn History Page
Brooklyn Information Page
Brooklyn On Line - Brooklyn History
Bushwick Community Directory
Bushwick, Brooklyn
Bushwick
DCAS Home Page
Digging Old Brooklyn
ENGINE 252
Forgotten NY
Greenpoint History
Greenpoint, Greenpoint, Greenpoint
History of Brooklyn Early 20th Century
History of Brooklyn Early and Colonial Years
~blkyn/Streets/Eastern.Dist.html
~blkyn/Streets/No.Bklyn.html
~blkyn/Vitals.Bklyn.html
http--rmitz.org-AYB3.swf
March dcas pdf
HPD faq
Long Island A to Z - Myrtle Avenue
NYG&B Before the 5 Borough City
RKO Bushwick
The Brooklyn Collection
The Brooklyn Historical Society Museum Exhibits
The Brooklyn Historical Society Timeline
The Brooklyn Historical Society
The Historic House Trust of New York City
The Municipal Archives of the City of New York
Williamsburg History
The New York Subway Its Construction And Equipment
The South Brooklyn Network 
Wards
The Story of Consolidation

Stuff I bring with me or should bring - 
Hagstrom NYC 5 Borough Pocket Atlas (ISBN  0880975997), Subwap Map, Chain and Lock, 
Traincard, Headlight, Mirror, Rear Reflector, Spoke wrench, Screw driver - phillips and regular, 
Allen keys – 3,4,5, + 6 mm, Switchblade, Wrenches – 6" adjustable, Tire levers, Patch kit, 
Extra Ammo, Spare tube, Pump, Calling Card, Gloves, Helmet, Good Socks, Poncho

A Guide to Research Resources in New York City 
Following are a list of resources that can help you learn more about your historic building. Occasionally, there is an admission fee or a charge for using a collection. Some resources offer fee-based research services (rates are noted where applicable). Bring a photo ID -- some resources will hold it while you review records. Bring plenty of coins. Generally, quarters are required for photocopy and microfilm copy machines. In some cases, you may be required to purchase a copy-card with $1 bills. Reproduction costs for prints of photographs or architectural plans range from $10 to $90. Budget ample time for each resource. You may find the appropriate documentation on your first try, or you may need a few hours to do a comprehensive search. 

IMPORTANT TIPS FOR RESEARCH 
If you cannot find your building's street address, try the address of adjacent properties. If originally built as one of a row, your property may be indexed under the address of the building on either end of the row. Variations in an address may occur in the records. Many property records are organized by Tax Map Block and Lot Number. This information is easily obtained at the Municipal Archives (indexed by street address in the open-shelf real estate atlases) and at the Department of Buildings (on the computer print-out of the Property Profile). Note dates of photographs and architectural plans. Records of alterations can help you to determine which facade elements are original. If a photograph is undated, clues such as car styles may help determine an approximate date. 

DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS 
General Information and Definitions: Refer to the specific information for the Borough Office. You must obtain a computer print-out of the Property Profile (building application index) from a public access terminal. This Profile includes a list of all actions related to the property and shows which records will be in the individual Property Folders. Each Borough Office has at least one public access computer terminal. To access the records, search the database by the street address or block and lot numbers. Individual Property Folders, organized according to block and lot number, should include: new building applications (which record building specifications, materials, and classification, date of construction; owner and architect; and cost), alteration and other permit applications, architectural drawings and plans. The applications are recorded by year, e.g., "NB 145-22" indicates new building application #145 in 1922. The Manhattan records begin in 1866, while other borough records begin as early as the 1870's. Rolled Plans are the architectural plans, elevations, or engineering drawings that are too large to be kept in the folders. Request a search of the Rolled Plans when you ask for the Property folder. 

MANHATTAN AND CITY-WIDE 

Museum of the City of New York 
Department of Collections Access 
1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street 
New York, NY 10029 212-534-1672 x 262 
W-Sat 10:00-5:00, Sun 12:00-5:00 
Public Transportation: 6 Train to 103rd Street station 
General Information: By appointment only. When making an appointment here, give the librarian as much information as possible. Records will be compiled by staff for your visit. Standard fee: $25; Student (with valid ID): $10; Senior (62 or over): $10. Research services: $25/hour. 

MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES 

City of New York Department of Records and 
Information Services 
31 Chambers Street, at Centre Street 
Surrogate's Court Building, Room 103 
New York, NY 10007 
212-788-8580 M-Th 9:00-4:30, F 9:00-1:00
Public Transportation: 4. 5, 6 Train to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station 
N or R Train to City Hall station M, J, Z Train to Chambers Street station 
General Information: No appointment necessary. Staff assistance available. 
Copies: Self-service photocopy and microfilm copy machines (15 cents). 
Relevant holdings: Department of Taxes Collection -- photographs of New York City properties taken between 1931 and 1940. Index (by street) and images available on microfilm. Borough President Collections (for Brooklyn, 1918-1956; for Manhattan, 1915-1949: for Queens, 1859-1950) -- microfilm images of street, highway, sewer and public works construction and repair. Index in card catalogue, organized by street and by subject. W.P.A. Federal Writer's Project (NYC) Unit Collection -- photographs of New York City scenes, taken between 1936 and 1943 for the New York City Guide and other project publications. Index and images available on microfilm. Department of Buildings records, for Manhattan only -- Property folders, which include new building and alteration applications and plans for Blocks 1 - 936 only, from 1866 to 1975. Original folders must be requested at the front desk by block and lot numbers. Docket Books of building applications from 1866 to 1959 (on microfilm) will provide much of the same information (without plans) as the as the original applications. 

MANHATTAN 

Manhattan Department of Buildings 
60 Hudson Street, at Thomas Street 
Fifth Floor New York, NY 10013 
212-312-8520 M-F 9:00-5:00, Public 9:00-3:30
Public Transportation: 1 or 9 Train to Franklin Street station 
General Information: No appointment necessary. Staff assistance minimal. 
Copies: Self-service photocopy and microfilm copy machines in the Records Room (25 cents). Blueprint-scale copying (36"x 48"): $8 for first copy, $5 each additional; done on site, minimal processing period. Procedures: Get a computer print-out of the Property Profile in the Records Room (five public access terminals). The Property Profile will provide you with your block and lot numbers and an inventory of the building folder contents. If your address is not indexed, try the address of an adjacent property. If it is still not there, ask the staff of the Data Entry And Research (DEAR) desk to search the street index. If there are no new building or alteration applications listed on the print-out, they will not be in the folder. In that case, if your property has a block number below 936, check the Department of Building records at the Municipal Archives. Fill out a block and lot request form and go to the Records Room window, requesting a search for both the Property Folder and Rolled Plans. You must leave your photo ID to review the records. 

New York Public Library Center for the Humanities 
42nd Street & Fifth Avenue 
Department of U.S. History, Local History & 
Genealogy, Room 315S New York, NY 10018 
212-930-0828 M 10:00-5:45, T-W 11:00-7:15, Th-Sat 10:00-5:45 
Public Transportation: 7 Train to Fifth Avenue station 
B, D, F Train to Bryant Park station 
General Information: No appointment necessary. Staff assistance available. Copies: Copy services available (25 cents); copycards required for microfilm copier. Relevant Holdings: Photographic Views of New York City 1870s-1970s -- more than 50,000 images of New York City buildings and streets, most with date and address. The collection has a three-volume index: Volume 1, Street Index; Volume 2, Building Index; and Volume 3, Subject Index. The indexes are available in bound copies: the indexes are self-serve microfiche in Room 315S. Lloyd Acker Collection -- Photographs of New York City buildings from the early and mid-20th century (not all photographs are dated). The collection is indexed by borough and street on microfilm (call number *ZI-300), and images are available on microfilm, both available in Room 229. This Collection is useful for researching ordinary buildings such as new houses built by speculators, tenement buildings and commercial buildings. Illustrations of New York Local Views --Bibliographic references to illustrations in books. Indexed in a card catalog in Room 315S, organized by subject, including building type, street and neighborhood. 

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Studies 
515 Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue), at 135th Street 
New York, NY 10037 212-491-2218, General Research & Reference 
212-491-2057, Photographs & Prints Collection 
M-W 12:00-8:00, Th-Sat 10:00-6:00 
Public Transportation: 2 or 3 Train to 135th Street station. 
General Information: Appointment suggested. 

Drawings and Archive Division, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library 
Avery Hall - Columbia University 
New York, NY 10027 212-854-4110 Public Transportation: 1 or 9 Train to 116th Street station 
General Information: Avery Library is not open to the public, and this Division is open by appointment only. 

New York Transit Museum Archives 
130 Livingston Street, at the corner of Boerum Place & Schermerhorn Street 
Brooklyn, NY 11201 718-694-1065 M-F 9:00-5:00 
Public Transportation: 2, 3, 4, 5 Train to Borough Hall station 
M, N, R Train to Court Street station A, C, F Train to Borough Hall station 
General Information: By appointment only. 

BROOKLYN

Brooklyn Department of Buildings 
Municipal Building, Eighth Floor 
210 Joralemon Street, at Court Street 
Brooklyn, NY 11201 718-802-3675 
M-F 9:00-1:00, 2:00-3:00 Public Transportation: 2, 3, 4, 5 Train to Borough Hall station 
M, N, R Train to Court Street station A, C, F Train to Borough Hall station 
General Information: No appointment necessary. Staff assistance minimal. Copies: Self-service photocopy machine in Room 816 (25 cents). Blueprint-scale copying (36"x 48"): $8 for first copy, $5 each additional; three week processing period. Procedures: Get a computer print-out of the Property Profile in Room 816 (three public access terminals). The Property Profile will provide you with your block and lot numbers and an inventory of the building folder contents. If your address is not indexed, try the address of an adjacent property. If it is still not there, ask the Data Entry And Research (DEAR) staff to check the street index. Go to the Property Folder window in the rear of Room 816, where all records prior to 1960 are stored. Fill out a block and lot request form, requesting a search for both the Property Folder and the Rolled Plans. You must leave your photo ID to review the records. 

Brooklyn Historical Society 
128 Pierrepont Street, at Clinton Street 
Brooklyn, NY 11201 718-624-0890 Public Transportation: 2, 3, 4, 5 Trains to Borough Hall station 
M, N, R Trains to Court Street station A, C, F Trains to Borough Hall station 
General Information: Staff assistance available. $5 admission. 
Copies: Photocopy service available: 1" x 2" image (50 cents); 8" x 10" image ($1). 
Research Services: Fees vary according to the scope of the request. Relevant Holdings Visual Collection -- 100,000 images documenting Brooklyn from the late 19th century to the present. The images are indexed by subject and are available for viewing on a computer terminal. Newspaper Clippings Collection -- Clippings (some of which include photographs) from ca.1870 to 1970, indexed in a card catalog by address. Real Estate Brochure Collection -- Brochures from ca. 1900 to 1960, indexed by location. Atlas Collection -- Fire insurance and real estate atlases (from 1855 to 1929) with maps that indicate Tax Block and Lot numbers, building material, property dimensions, and classification for existing structures. City directories -- For selected years from 1796 to 1913, organized by name, listing resident's home address and occupation with business address. Elite Directories for selected years front 1877 - 1914, organized by address. Brookyln Directories for 1910-1940. 

Brooklyn Public Library 
Brooklyn Collection, 2nd Floor 
Grand Army Plaza at Eastern Parkway 
Brooklyn. NY 11238 718-230-2100 M-Th 9:00-8:00, F-Sat 9:00-6:00 
Public Transportation: 2 or 3 Train to Eastern Parkway-Brooklyn Museum station 
General Information: By appointment only.

Home Building Sequence - Full Basement

Arrange for temporary electric service to the site and a portable toilet if needed.
Stake out the house in preparation for excavating as well as utilities and a temporary driveway if needed.
Remove any trees, bushes or debris as necessary from the building site. Have the excavator cut down the grade if required.
Verify when your excavator will complete digging the basement and arrange for the footings and foundation walls to be poured immediately after. Forms for footings must be inspected before pouring. If you leave the empty hole standing, it will invariably cave in and you will have to start over.
If you are going with a septic system, install a sleeve for the sewer into the foundation wall. Likewise for any other openings you may require. Make sure gas, electric and telephone arrangements have been made and the trench for same dug.
You can install the septic system before the foundation, simply do not excavate the basement until it is almost complete.
Once the footings and foundation walls have been poured, install any steel beams required in the basement, install drain tile and apply waterproofing to the exterior of the walls.
Begin drilling the well maintaining the distance from the septic system that code dictates.
Allow 28 days for the concrete to cure and then backfill. If you do not want to wait for the concrete to fully cure you should install the first floor framing, including sub-floor, before backfilling to brace the walls and keep them from cracking under the pressure.
Frame the floors, walls, ceilings and roof, including the 3/4" sub-flooring and the wall and roof sheathing at this time.
Install the roofing and then house wrap, followed by the soffit and fascia.
At this point you can begin the rough plumbing while installing windows, exterior doors and siding and/or brick.
Build any masonry chimneys and fireplaces at the same time.
Heat ducts should be installed immediately after the rough plumbing. The same contractor may also install the gutters at this point.
Rough in the electric.
Once the roof is on, windows in, rough plumbing done, and inspected, with sewer and water lines run into the basement you can pour the concrete basement and garage floors. Also any concrete stoops or A/C pads required.
Do not forget all rough inspections must be complete before you cover any interior walls.
Insulation, may have to be inspected in some localities. Be careful with the insulation; it may contain asbestos which leads to asbestos cancer.
Drywall installation, taping and sanding, and spray with primer.
Install underlayment, ceramic tile and hardwood flooring.
Install cabinets, trim, accessories and built in appliances.
Finish plumbing, electrical, (install fixtures), and install furnace and A/C. Hook up telephone service.
Rough landscaping, if not already done with backfill, culverts, sidewalks and the driveway can be completed now as most delivery trucks have come and gone.
Painting, staining and final inspections.
Finish landscaping (top soil, sod, seed etc.).
Carpet, linoleum and vinyl tile.
Final cleaning and move in!

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