Recently, the Department of Records and Information Services installed a new exhibit featuring historic photographs and plans of the Surrogate’s Court building. The display is in the eastern entrance vestibule. Some of the most stunning features of the magnificent Surrogate’s Court/Hall of Records building are the brilliant blue and gold mosaic ceilings in the side entrance vestibules.
Surrogate’s Court/Hall of Records, A Public Treasure. Exhibit. Surrogate’s Court building, 31 Chambers Street, Manhattan, 2022. Photograph by Michael Lorenzini. NYC Municipal Archives
In 1961, the exterior staircase to the eastern entrance of the Surrogate’s Court was lopped off when Centre Street was widened, and the vestibule fell into disuse. Around that time, there were plans to demolish the entire building as part of a “new” Civic Center proposal. Landmark designation of the Surrogate’s Court building in 1966 saved the building from further insult, and in the 1970s, the newly formed Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) moved its administrative staff into offices adjacent to the eastern vestible. In the early 1980s the agency moved all divisions into the building, with the Municipal Library (then called the Municipal Reference and Research Center) occupying the other side of the former Centre Street vestibule.
Hall of Records, 1939. Department of Public Works Lantern Slide Collection. NYC Municipal Archives.
For many years the vestibule had been hidden behind a curtain. It was filled with equipment used for lobby events, such as a stage and folding chairs, as well as cleaning equipment and supplies. In 2016, we unearthed the original 1980s renovation plans for the first floor and saw that this space had been assigned to DORIS. Cleared of junk and cleaned up, DORIS began using the vestibule space for special exhibits. The first exhibit displayed material collected after the 9/11 attacks, for the 15th anniversary. Soon after, during 2017/18, the space was closed off for restoration of the atrium skylight. In 2019, DORIS installed an exhibit on voting rights to coincide with the 100th anniversary of New York State expanding voting rights to women. In early 2020 an exhibition opened about “incorrigible” girls confined in the New York State Training School for Girls. The 2020/21 COVID pandemic mostly closed the building to the public.
Hall of Records, Centre Street, January 6, 1911. Department of Bridges, Plant & Structures Photograph Collection. Photographer: Eugene de Salignac. NYC Municipal Archives.
The new exhibit highlights the history of the building and features reproductions of plans and historic photos. One case is dedicated to the history of this little nook. Visitors are encouraged to take a few minutes to learn about the history of the building. For the Record articles by archivist Matt Minor also provide a wealth of information: The New York City Hall of Records, The Surrogates Court Rotunda Restored, Hall of Records, Where Brilliance is Necessary, and Building History: The Hall of Records. The article Fay Kellogg, Architect, by Cynthia Brenwall, highlights the career of the female architect who designed the beautiful double staircase in the atrium.
Surrogate’s Court/Hall of Records, A Public Treasure. Exhibit, Introduction Panel, 2022. NYC Municipal Archives.