On October 25, 2021, Commissioner Pauline Toole and Industry City CEO Andrew Kimball presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new Municipal Archives storage and research facility at Industry City. In a press releases announcing the opening, Mayor de Blasio said “This state-of-the-art storage and research facility will ensure preservation of the City’s heritage for generations to come. The $22 million facility is the city’s most significant investment in its Archives since establishment of the Department of Records & Information Services in 1977.”
This milestone accomplishment was only possible thanks to the many archives staff who contributed their expertise, creativity, and strength (mental, physical and emotional!) over the last six-plus years. The comments from several of the staff recorded in this blog attest to the significance of the new facility.
Commissioner Pauline Toole and Industry City CEO Andrew Kimball cut the ribbon to open the new Municipal Archives storage and research facility at Industry City, Brooklyn, October 25, 2021. Photographer: Aburaihan Rahman. NYC Municipal Archives.
Visitors at the opening ceremony toured the exhibition area in the new facility, October 25, 2021. Photographer: Aburaihan Rahman. NYC Municipal Archives.
Municipal Archives Director Sylvia Kollar commented on some of the ‘behind-the-scenes’ tasks that were an important part of the move. “A multi-year collections survey detailed what collections we formally accessioned, those that still require review and assessment, and a more accurate extent of the collections. A preservation survey detailed the collection conditions and will inform conservation, preservation, and processing priorities well into the future. Mapping collections to custom shelving provided an opportunity for better organization and accessibility. In addition to the improved physical conditions, managing data associated with over 300,000 unique items in a machine-readable format is among the most important results of the move. It will dramatically improve our ability to manage and provide access to the collections, and consequently our continued efforts to improve our digital presence.
While the focus has typically been on the collections, the Archives and Records Management staff deserve a remarkable tribute acknowledging their tenacity and skills- they are truly unmatched.”
Municipal Archives Reading Room, Industry City, October 2021. Photographer: Michael Lorenzini. NYC Municipal Archives.
The new facility includes space for patrons to conduct research using the materials stored in Brooklyn. Patrons make appointments and go directly to Industry City. This makes the retrieval process more efficient and environmentally friendly and researchers no longer need to wait for the weekly transfer of material from Brooklyn to Manhattan. The Municipal Archives’ headquarters at 31 Chambers Street in Manhattan will continue to welcome patrons researching collections stored in Manhattan and serve as a venue for exhibitions and public programs.
Reference Archivist Katie Ehrlich commented on the reading room: “It’s exciting to see researchers’ reactions to the new Industry City space. They are happy to do research in a new facility and be some of the first ones through our doors. They all comment about the view of New York Harbor, but also appreciate that they can access the collections. It’s nice to provide patrons with a new experience. It’s amazing that every box has its rightful place, to be able to look up the location at information and then discover collections and material I've never seen before. The collections here are just so vast.”
View from the Reading Room, Municipal Archives, Industry City, October 25, 2021. Photographer: Aburaihan Rahman. NYC Municipal Archives.
Movable shelving greatly increased the storage capacity of the new space. There are more than 90,000 linear feet of storage space—the equivalent of about 21 football fields in length. Photographer: Aburaihan Rahman. NYC Municipal Archives.
Appraisals and Accessions Archivist Todd Gilbert remarked: “The Municipal Archives’ new facility is an inspiring advance for the care our collections receive and the institution's ability to manage and make them available to the public. It’s a great feeling to move a shelving carriage the size of subway car at the touch of a button and realize our collections are in a better preservation environment than ever, while occupying a smaller physical footprint. And it’s especially exciting that this coincides with a massive leap in accessibility as comprehensive descriptions of our holdings are made publicly available online. The foundation that’s been laid for the Archives to keep striving towards its mission of preserving and making the records of the City government available is a really meaningful achievement.”
Special shelving holds rolled architectural plans. The facility also includes cold storage vaults for photographic negatives, sound, film and video recordings, and map cabinets for oversize flat materials. The facility contains space for every task required to process and preserve collections. There is a digital lab, a collections processing area, and a conservation lab. The elevators are sealed to prevent dust and drafts during the transfer process.
Lindsey Hobbs, Head of Conservation, Preservation, described the HVAC system: “In addition to providing a well-equipped workspace for researchers, the Archives’ new facility also features state-of-the-art storage environments for collection materials. Occupying the upper levels of the building, the HVAC system maintains multiple tiers of environmental controls to support the preservation of a variety of media types, including film, objects, photographic materials, as well as books and paper. Controlled temperature and humidity tailored to specific material types slows the natural aging of collections, thus better preserving New York City’s heritage for future generations.
Staff from all Divisions of DORIS contributed to making the move to the new facility a success. Jerrold Farrington from the Records Management Division spoke for many of his colleagues: “It was a pleasure to help set up and move Archives into their new space. The new space will be beneficial to the growth of Archives as time goes on. All of us in Records Management congratulates Archives in their new space.”
Visitor Entrance, Municipal Archives Storage and Research Facility, Industry City, Brooklyn, October 2021. Photographer: Michael Lorenzini. NYC Municipal Archives.
In 2014, with support and funding from the de Blasio administration, the Design and Project Management Unit at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services began searching for new space and developing layouts for a state-of-the-art research and storage facility. The neighboring warehouse at Industry City, which also houses the active records storage space, proved ideal. Design of the appropriate heating and humidification zones was complicated and the construction was slowed due to the pandemic. But, the new facility at Industry City is now a reality. The collections have been moved, staff is on premises and researchers have arrived. We look forward to working with community residents to add their stories to the Neighborhood Stories project and increasing access to City government’s historical records in this beautiful new space.