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New York Building Congress Records

Call Number

WAG.167

Dates

1918-2017, inclusive
; 1960-2000, bulk

Creator

New York Building Congress
New York Building Congress (Role: Donor)
Anderson, Richard T. (Richard Theodore), 1940- (Role: Donor)
Draudt, Alanna (Role: Donor)

Extent

65 Linear Feet in 52 record cartons, 20 manuscript boxes, 2 half manuscript boxes, 2 oversize flat boxes, and 2 shared folders.
82.9 Gigabytes in 13,034 computer files

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Abstract

The New York Building Congress (NYBC) is an association that brings together employers, labor unions, government agencies, engineers, architects, financiers, suppliers and others engaged in the construction industry in New York City. Founded in 1921, it now represents approximately 400 organizations, with a combined membership of over 250,000 skilled workers and professionals. The Congress engages in educational and lobbying activity, hosts public programs, and disseminates information on issues of concern to the industry. Additionally, the organization focuses on supporting sound public policy, promoting productive capital spending, encouraging public/private partnerships, and evaluating the implementation of major government projects in the construction sector. The collection consists of the administrative, general, and event files of the NYBC, as well as publications, photographs, and audio-visual materials produced by or for the organization. It documents the organization's role in establishing standards for construction through the Building Industry Practices Committee, as well as its important role in New York City legislative issues. The event files cover a variety of activities, from the lavishly produced Christmas shows and "Fun and Frolic" celebrations held from the 1930s through 1980s, to the conferences and issue-oriented forums that became a prominent feature of Congress activity in the 1990s and beyond.

Historical Note

The New York Building Congress (NYBC) is an association that brings together employers, labor unions and federations, government agencies, engineers, architects, finaniers, suppiers and others engaged in the construction industry in New York City. Founded in 1921, it now has around 400 affiliated organizations, with a combined membership of over 250,000 skilled workers and professionals. The Congress engages in educational and lobbying activities, hosts public programs, and disseminates information of concern to the industry.

Shortly after the First World War, elements of the American building industry attempted to organize a national building congress. Although the planned national organization was never very active, the impulse was continued by city-wide groups. In New York City, the 47-member NYBC was organized in early 1921. Originally, membership was limited to organizations (labor unions, businesses, government agencies, etc.), but it was soon opened to individuals, and its early presidents were noted architects. On this broad basis, the NYBC united labor and employers, as well as members of the multitude of professions involved in all aspects of the building industry. One of the NYBC's key roles in its early years was to mediate between labor and management.

The NYBC issued a code of ethics for the building industry during its inaugural year, and remained actively involved in setting industry standards until the 1960s. The organization concerned itself with specific building practices; it commissioned research, published reports, lobbied, and spoke out on legislation and regulations pertaining to the industry. The NYBC took a leading role in the revision of the New York City Building Code in the 1960s and also lobbied on more general issues, such as the New York City charter revision of the late 1980s, the Westway project, and a variety of other development proposals for the city.

Over the years the organizational structure of the NYBC varied dramatically, as can be seen in the multitude of committees, subcommittees, councils, and boards listed in the inventory below. Nevertheless, some functions have remained consistent. From the beginning, the NYBC has regularly sponsored research, held conferences, presented awards to leaders in the industry, and hosted dinners and luncheons that have been addressed by some of New York's, and the nation's, most distinguished individuals.

Following the long presidencies of John J. Collins and Louis J. Coletti, the NYBC has been led by Richard T. Anderson since 1994. During this time, the Congress has frequently addressed legislative, regulatory, urban development, and political issues crucial to the industry. A recent Congress initiative was the establishment of the New York Building Foundation (NYBF), which undertakes industry research and philanthropic activities.

Arrangement

The records are arranged into ten series, two of which have been further arranged into subseries. The contents of Series I are arranged by organizational hierarchy. Series II-IV and VI are arranged alphabetically. Series VII is arranged by format and then by date. Series VIII and X are unprocessed.

Series I: Minutes (1925-2010)

Series II: Administrative Records (1921-2010)

Series III: General Files (1918-2011)

Series IV: Events (1938-2010)

Series V: Oversized Materials (1947-2008)

Series VI: Photographs (1936-2008)

Subseries VI:A: Meetings (1947-1999)

Subseries VI:B: Events (1944-2008)

Subseries VI:C: Portraits (1936-1988)

Subseries VI:D: Site Photographs (1948-1974)

Subseries VI:E: Other Formats and Oversize (1943-1988)

Series VII: Audio-Visual Materials (1987-2004)

Subseries VII:A: Audiocassettes (1987-1997)

Subseries VII:B: Video (VHS) (2001-2004)

Series VIII: Unprocessed Materials (1985-2015)

Series IX. Archived Website

Series X. Richard T. Anderson Papers (1980-2015)

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of the administrative, general, and event files of the NYBC, as well as some publications, photographs and audio-visual materials produced by or for the organization. It documents the organization's role in establishing standards for construction through the Building Industry Practices Committee, as well as its important role in New York City legislative issues. The event files cover a variety of activities, from the lavishly produced Christmas shows and "Fun and Frolic" celebrations held from the 1930s through 1980s, to the conferences and issue-oriented forums that became a prominent feature of Congress activity in the 1990s and beyond.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection, created by the New York Building Congress was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form: Identification of item, date; New York Building Congress Records; WAG 167; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.

Location of Materials

Some materials in this collection are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu at least two business days prior to your research visit to coordinate access.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by the New York Building Congress, 1998. The accession numbers 1999.013, 1999.014 and NPA.2003.081 are associated with this gift. Additional material was donated in 2009, 2011, and 2012. The accession numbers 2009.021, 2011.015, 2012.011, and 2018.038 are associated with these materials.

Alanna Draudt donated materials in 2016 and 2018. The accession numbers associated with these gifts are 2016.028 and 2018.042.

Richard Anderson donated materials in 2017. The accession number associated with this gift is 2018.038.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

A limited number of rolled photographs (approximately 15) are noted in the container list. Please consult Tamiment staff for access to these materials.

Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures

Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu, (212) 998-2630 with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Born-digital materials have not been transferred and may not be available to researchers. Researchers may request access copies. To request that material be transferred, or if you are unsure if material has been transferred, please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu, (212) 998-2630 with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.

Separated Materials

Periodicals were separated for cataloging by the Library.

Related Materials

Building Trades Employers Association Records (WAG 196)

Building Trades Oral History Project, Audio (OH 045)

The Tamiment Library also holds a substantial number of periodicals published by NYBC, including the Building Congress News, Metrobuild, and Edifice.

Collection processed by

Finding aid prepared by Daniel Michelson, Rachel Menyuk, Ted Casselman, Maggie Schreiner and Gail Malmgreen (2010-2011); 2012 addendum by Rachel Schimke.

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-12-01 12:30:05 -0500.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is in English

Processing Information

Photographs separated from this collection during processing were established as a separate collection, the New York Building Congress Photographs (PHOTOS 109). In 2013, the photograph collection was reincorporated into the New York Building Congress Records (WAG 167).

In 2014, the archived websites were added as Series IX. In 2016 an accretion to the collection was incorporated into Series VIII. Unprocessed Materials based on previous arrangement and description decisions. Materials for this accession were rehoused into archival boxes and folders, but were otherwise not arranged. A hard drive disk of administrative records from the organization was profiled, viewed, and described in the collection but has not been forensically imaged or arranged.

In 2018 an accretion of materials documenting the administration of NYBC President Richard T. Anderson was accessioned and integrated into the collection as a separate series, X. Richard T. Anderson Papers.

Revisions to this Guide

2012: Record edited by Rachel Schimke to reflect 2012 accretion
November 2013: Edited by Maggie Schreiner for compliance with DACS and Tamiment Required Elements for Archival Description, to reflect the incorporation of nonprint materials, and to update administrative information
November 2016: Record edited by Rachel Searcy to reflect 2016 accretion
April 2018: Record edited by Rachel Searcy to reflect 2017 accretions
December 2023: Edited by Anna Björnsson McCormick to reflect the rehousing of materials

Repository

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012