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 researchers 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 the history is
important for the future progress of New York 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.
directors
Board Of Directors
In Memory Of
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.