New-York Historical Society building renovations and maintenance records
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Abstract
The New-York Historical Society building renovations and maintenance records include files concerning the Central Park West physical plant from the late 1940s and forward. One major initiative that is especially well-documented in the record group is the extensive renovation work that began in planning about 1989 and concluded in 2000 with the opening of the Henry Luce III Center for the Study of American Culture. Various other large and small construction and maintenance projects are documented to some extent. The record group will continue to accrue new material over time.
Arrangement Note
The record group is organized such that projects with extensive records are described within their own series while projects documented in a more limited way are arranged together chronologically in a general series. The record group currently includes the following series:
Series I. General Subject Files
Series II. 1990s Capital Improvement Projects
Scope and Contents Note
The New-York Historical Society building renovations and maintenance records include files concerning the Central Park West physical plant from the late 1940s and forward to the present. (For records related to the early 1940s and prior, including the construction of the Central Park West building, see the New-York Historical Society original buildings planning & construction records [NYHS-RG 3]). The record group was compiled from various sources and does not necessarily document, or document completely, all renovation work done over the decades.
One major initiative that is especially well-documented in the record group is the extensive renovation work that began about 1989 and concluded in 2000 with the opening of the Henry Luce III Center for the Study of American Culture (Luce Center). These records include planning documents, such as feasibility studies, proposals, and surveys, and implementation documents, such as contracts, change orders, construction meeting summaries, and payment requisitions. There is extensive correspondence with the architects, engineers, and city agencies that funded the project phases of the late 1990s. There are many architectural drawings, though these are related principally to the early planning work of 1989-1990 done by the firm of Allan Greenberg, Architect. In addition to the Luce Center, these records of projects from the 1990s include work related to the renovation of the Luman Reed Gallery, roof, façade, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, and other areas.
Aside from the capital improvement projects of the 1990s, several other projects, large and small, are documented to at least some extent, such as the initial installation of air-conditioning in the mid-1960s, the application to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to place a railing at the front entrance in the mid-1970s, and the development of the DiMenna Children's Museum in the late 2000s, as well as various unrealized proposals.
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Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation Note
This collection should be cited as the New-York Historical Society building renovations and maintenance records (NYHS-RG 4), The New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Accruals Note
The record group is open for accruals of additional material.
About this Guide
Processing Information Note
This record group was initially processed by project archivist Larry Weimer in 2016.
Prior to 2016, many of the architectural plans in the record group were previously included in a different record group, the New-York Historical Society pictorial archive (NYHS-RG 5). In 2016, these drawings were transfered to this record group, NYHS-RG 4, in order to consolidate them with other buildings records.
A few documents were added to Series I in September 2021 by archivist Larry Weimer.