WHAT'S OUR MISSION?
The mission of the New York Archival Society is to preserve,
support, and promote the collections, services, and programs of
the New York City Municipal Archives and Library.
The Society
advances its mission through public outreach, events and
sponsorship of special projects, especially those that encourage
the use of primary source documents by researches including high school and college students in New
York City.
New York City is one of the most diverse
cities in the world and has been a leader in promoting the social,
economic and political progress of its residents. The Society
believes that preserving and making accessible to the public the
records that document this history is important for the future
progress of the City.
PRESERVING RECORDS WITH HISTORICAL VALUE
Welcome to the Municipal Archives
The Archives preserves and makes available New York City government's historical records. Explore our collections dating from 1645 to the present including documents, digital collections, still and moving images, ledgers and docket books, cartographic materials, blueprints, and audiovisual materials.
DISCOVER MORE ABOUT OUR WORK
directors
Board Of Directors
In Memorial
Catha Grace Rambusch
The Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) notes with sadness the passing of long-time friend
and
supporter, Catha Grace Rambusch, on April 18, 2024.
Catha Rambusch’s association with the Municipal Archives began in the 1970s when she joined Paul O’Dwyer, the
City
Council President, to create the New York Archival Society. Catha served as a Board member, Secretary, Executive
Director, and in 2023 she assumed the role of President.
Catha’s work on behalf of the Municipal Archives took many forms. She helped transport the re-discovered
Brooklyn Bridge
drawings to the Archives in her station wagon. She planned and organized numerous special events and programs
such as
the lecture presented by Missy Dierickx on the history and architecture of the Surrogate’s Court building, and
most
recently, the memorial for long-time New York Archival Society treasurer Joseph Van Nostrand.
Catha’s connections in the world of private philanthropy proved invaluable in the 1980s when she helped the
Archives
secure grants to preserve the Central Park drawings collection. In 1985, she facilitated an award of $35,000
from the
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the first year of a two-year project to examine, catalog and conserve the
collection.
In
1986, she arranged for a grant of $28,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation to support the second year of the
project. In
April 2022, she lent DORIS a book from her voluminous collection of historical materials for the exhibit of the
original
design for Central Park in celebration of Frederick Law Olmsted’s 200th Birthday.
Catha’s dedication to archives and preservation extended well beyond the Municipal Archives. Among her many
signature
achievements, in 1973 Catha established the Committee for the Preservation of Architectural Records. She was a
founding
member of UNESCO’s International Confederation of Architectural Museums. She served as Director of the National
Catalogue of Landscape Records at Wave Hill from 1989 to 2004. The American Institute of Architects awarded her
their
Silver Medal. In 1988, Secretary of the Interior Donald Paul Hodel bestowed the Conservation Award to Catha in
recognition of her significant contributions to the preservation of historic records.
Brooklyn-born, and a long-time resident of Stuyvesant Town, Catha Rambusch was the archivist and historian of
her
husband Viggo Rambusch’s 125-year old family firm. She is survived by Viggo, her husband of 65 years, and four
children,
Kristin Von Thelen, Lucia Rambusch-Adam, Edwin and Martin Rambusch and eight grandchildren.