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Seventh Regiment Fund court case records

Call Number

MS 3032

Date

1950–2010 (bulk, 1996-2007), inclusive

Creator

Seventh Regiment Fund

Extent

3 Linear feet (3 record cartons)

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

A small collection of legal documents accompanying a 1996 lawsuit brought by New York's Attorney General against the Seventh Regiment Fund over ownership of the artwork, objects, and memorabilia housed in the Seventh Regiment Armory at 643 Park Avenue, Manhattan. A 2006 ruling decided in favor of New York State's ownership of the material.

Historical Note

The Seventh Regiment, known as the "silk stocking regiment" for its well-heeled members, descends from four volunteer militia companies organized in 1806 to protect New York from attack by the British. The Seventh Regiment, along with other military and social organizations, has been housed since 1880 in the massive armory at 643 Park Avenue, which incorporates rooms for company offices, a library, galleries, and a block-long drill hall. The Armory's interiors were designed by such Gilded Age giants as Louis Comfort Tiffany and Stanford White.

The Seventh Regiment Fund was incorporated in 1909 "to promote and conserve the interests and welfare of the Seventh Regiment, National Guard, New York, and its successors, and to that end and for those purposes to take and hold by gift, bequest, purchase or lease, either absolutely or in trust, real or personal property, to apply the same and the income, rents, issues and profits, derived from the investment thereof, for the purposes aforesaid, in such manner and at such times as the Board of Directors may from time to time direct."

By their interpretation, the Seventh Regiment Fund controlled the contents of the armory, and could dispose of them with impunity. But in 1996, New York Attorney General Dennis C. Vacco filed suit against the Seventh Regiment Fund, charging that its directors had illegally assumed title to the artifacts in their care, and had possibly lost or sold many of them without turning over proceeds to the state. In 2006 a judge ruled in favor of New York State's ownership of the disputed memorabilia.

Arrangement

With minor exceptions, the records are filed in the order imposed by the donor. Clarifying titles [in brackets] were supplied by the archivist.

Scope and Contents

This small collection documents the 1996 lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Dennis C. Vacco against the Seventh Regiment Fund and other involved parties, disputing ownership of the artifacts, artwork, memorabilia, etc., housed in the Seventh Regiment Armory (643 Park Avenue) and charged to have been lost or illegally disposed of by the Seventh Regiment Fund. It includes object lists, pleading files and other court papers, printed by-laws of the Seventh Regiment Fund, newspaper clippings, and copies of legal research and supporting material.

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

This collection should be cited as Seventh Regiment Fund Court Case Records, MS 3032, New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the Seventh Regiment Fund, July 2017.

Related Archival Materials

The New-York Historical Society holds the Records of the 7th Regiment 1767-1983, as well as the 9,000-volume Seventh Regiment Military Library, the titles from which may be found in the N-YHS Library Catalog.

Collection processed by

Joseph Ditta, August 2017.

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:51:27 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information

Processed by archivist Joseph Ditta, August 2017.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024