Complete Archive

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was shot and killed as he was about to address a rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. This collection contains the New York District Attorney’s investigation files into his assassination, trial transcripts, and records related to appeals following the conviction of three men who were charged with murder.

On March 23, 1896, during the 119th session of the New York State Legislature, the “Liquor Tax Law,” was passed, establishing a new taxation policy for the trafficking of intoxicating liquors. Liquor licenses set to expire after the law went into effect on April 30, 1896 were eligible for a refund upon surrendering the license.

The Office of the Borough President was created in 1898 to compensate the formerly independent communities in the four counties of New York, Kings, Queens and Richmond for the loss of governmental power to the consolidated Greater City of New York. They operated as "local mayors," with substantial control over construction and maintenance of streets, sidewalks, highways, sewers and public buildings. The Manhattan photographs document construction of the West Side (Express) elevated highway, East River Drive, Riverside Drive extension in Upper Manhattan, Sixth Avenue extension, removal of the elevated trains, street-widenings and sidewalk improvements. These large-format photographs provide detailed street scenes showing shopfronts, pedestrians, automobiles, private homes, billboards, gas stations, etc. Approximately 16,000 negatives and silver-gelatin prints, mostly taken by Savastano Studio.

This scrapbook documents births, deaths, and marriages at sea from 1901-1948. Included are letters and documents from ship captains, shipping companies, consulates, and other government agencies, certifying events of births, marriages, and deaths.

Mayor Abraham D. Beame (1974-1977), 104th Mayor of the City of New York. This collection consists of a selection of materials produced by his mayoral administration.

Ardolph L. Kline served as Acting Mayor for the City of New York after the unexpected death of Mayor William J. Gaynor in September 1913.

Mayor David N. Dinkins served as mayor from 1990 through 1993. This collection consists of a selection of materials produced by his mayoral administration.

Fiorello H. La Guardia was the 99th Mayor of New York City for three terms from 1934 to 1945.

George B. McClellan, Jr. was the 93rd Mayor of New York City, serving from 1904-1909. This collection contains the material generated by the daily workings of the Office of the Mayor during his administration.

Mayor John V. Lindsay was the 103rd mayor of New York City from 1966-1973.

Mayor Robert F. Wagner (1954-1965), served as the 102nd Mayor of the City of New York. This collection consists of a selection of materials produced by his mayoral administration.

Robert Anderson Van Wyck (1849-1918) was the first Mayor to take office after the consolidation of the City of New York in 1898.

The photograph collection covers the years 1994 – 2001.

Seth Low served as the Mayor of New York from 1902-1903. This collection consists of a selection of materials produced by his mayoral administration.

William O’Dwyer was the 100th Mayor of New York City from 1946-1950. This collection consists of a selection of materials produced by his mayoral administration.

The collection contains the municipal records of the government of New Amsterdam during the seventeenth century, as well as manuscript translations made of the documents made during the nineteenth century. The materials include ordinances, court minutes, contracts, minutes of the orphan court, administrative minutes, records of the notary public, and manuscript translations.

The records provide summaries of all cases prosecuted by the New York County District Attorney and serve as an index to the District Attorney closed case files. They are arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by the surname of the defendant. The following information is recorded for each case: name and address of the defendant; the offense and NYDA case file number (listed on the first line) and Court of General Sessions case number (listed below the NYDA number); whether or not the defendant was bailed or imprisoned; the complainants’ name and address, date of complaint, date received in the DA’s office; date sent to the indictment bureau; date dismissed by Grand Jury (if applicable); the formal charge (indictment) and date; defendant’s plea and a list of court appearance dates. If the case was referred from the Police Court, the district number and the name of the magistrate was also recorded. As some of the case files are missing, the record of cases may provide the only available information regarding these indictments.

This collection consists of bound volumes containing tally sheets of jury census returns for the city and county of New York. The tallies were taken to determine the eligibility of jurors and list persons and property by ward number for the years 1816, 1819, and 1821. Of particular demographic interest in these three censuses is the inclusion of women with identification by name, residence, age, and occupation or social status, during a time period when women were ineligible to serve as jurors.

The Aviation Unit of the NYPD is an advanced air-and-sea rescue and law enforcement unit that provides tactical support to police officers on the ground, fast rope deployments, fire suppression, maritime security operations, high-rise and roof-top insertions, and hoist operations, as well as serving as an air ambulance. The images include equipment, events, and staff of the Aviation Unit.

Criminal identification cards, complete with photos, fingerprints, age, height, weight, and Bertillon Measurements

Throughout the 20th century, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) conducted overt and covert surveillance on groups and individuals identified as potential security threats to the City. This collection comprises black and white 16mm silent surveillance films. They were shot by the NYPD Photo Unit for Manhattan (PUM) for the Bureau of Special Services and Investigations (BOSSI). The subjects include a broad range of political activist groups and events from 1960 to 1980. The films are generally 100 feet in length and up to three minutes in duration. Guide to the New York Police Department surveillance films, 1960-1980.