BE A PART OF THE CONSERVATION

Adopt New York's Past

Help preserve New York City's historical treasures by adopting an item from the Municipal Archives and Library to support conservation treatment. Choose from a selection of the city's maps, volumes, drawings, and documents listed below that are in poor condition.

Your donation through the "Adopt New York's Past" program will ensure that these materials are well-preserved for the future.

Your support will be commemorated by a label with the physical item and a note in the catalog that includes your name and an acknowledgment of your gift. Your name will also appear on our website next to the document you choose to adopt.

Requests to remain anonymous will also be honored. You will receive a thank you note with before and after photos of your adopted item once the conservation work is completed.

Brooklyn Bridge Drawing No. 2031, Balance Derrick Ca. 1870 Available to Adopt
Brooklyn Bridge Drawing No. 2031, Balance Derrick Ca. 1870

Among the Archives' more than 10,000 drawing plans for the Brooklyn Bridge, this drawing details...

$200.00
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Newtown Town Records Volume 288 Available to Adopt
Newtown Town Records Volume 288

Part of the Archives' Old Town collection, the contents of this volume date from 1714 - 1753 and...

$450.00
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Brooklyn Bridge Drawing No. 4275, Caisson Construction Available to Adopt
Brooklyn Bridge Drawing No. 4275, Caisson Construction

Among the Archives' more than 10,000 drawing plans for the Brooklyn Bridge, this drawing depicts...

$200.00
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Brooklyn Bridge Drawing 4269 Available to Adopt
Brooklyn Bridge Drawing 4269

Among the Archives' more than 10,000 drawing plans for the Brooklyn Bridge, this drawing by...

$250.00
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NYC Hospital Medical and Surgical Report Available to Adopt
NYC Hospital Medical and Surgical Report

A close look at operating room procedures and medicine in New York City in 1915, this...

$75.00
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Zoological Society 1901 Available to Adopt
Zoological Society 1901

The New York Zoological Society was founded in 1896 to promote instruction through a zoological...

$75.00
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Journal of the Board of Ed Available to Adopt
Journal of the Board of Ed

The Municipal Library's collection of the Journal of the Board of Education of the City of New...

$75.00
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Adopted Items

Proceedings of the Board of Aldermen Collection (1831-1853), 39 vols. Adopted
Proceedings of the Board of Aldermen Collection (1831-1853), 39 vols.

The Proceedings of the Board of Aldermen collection at the Municipal Library, which dates from...

$50.00

Adopted by:

  • Brad Reid
  • Miles Freeman
  • Lucie Luzzolini
  • Robert Davis
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Code of Health Ordinances 1866 Adopted
Code of Health Ordinances 1866

Poor sanitary conditions and a massive outbreak of cholera prompted the formation of the...

$175.00

Adopted by:

  • Pauline Toole
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Valentine's Manual of the City of New York, 1850 Adopted
Valentine's Manual of the City of New York, 1850

One of the earliest illustrated histories of New York City, Valentine's Manuals documented...

$250.00

Adopted by:

  • Samantha Hightower
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Department of Public Works Annual Report, 1870 Adopted
Department of Public Works Annual Report, 1870

This 1870 volume from the New York City Department of Public Works is a vital resource for...

$75.00

Adopted by:

  • Stephen Weil
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Valentine's Manual of the City of New York, 1855 Adopted
Valentine's Manual of the City of New York, 1855

One of the earliest illustrated histories of New York City, Valentine's Manuals documented...

$250.00

Adopted by:

  • Jacqueline Helt
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Map of the Town of Flatbush 1797 Adopted
Map of the Town of Flatbush 1797

This 1797 hand-drawn map of the town of Flatbush and surrounding areas of Brooklyn includes the...

$150.00

Adopted by:

  • Richard Buehring
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Newtown Criminal Docket, 1659-1688 Adopted
Newtown Criminal Docket, 1659-1688

This 1797 hand-drawn map of the town of Flatbush and surrounding areas of Brooklyn includes the...

$500.00

Adopted by:

  • Dennis Maika
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Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners of the Central Park (1856 - 1870), 12 vols. Adopted
Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners of the Central Park (1856 - 1870), 12 vols.

The Municipal Library's collection of Annual Reports of Central Park document the early...

$70.00

Adopted by:

  • Kevin Foley
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Slave Register, Town of Flatlands, 1799 Adopted
Slave Register, Town of Flatlands, 1799

This volume, which documents the birth of slaves in the Flatlands area of Brooklyn, is a unique...

$300.00

Adopted by:

  • Betty Kay
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Slaveholders in Kings County, Flatbush 1799-1826 Adopted
Slaveholders in Kings County, Flatbush 1799-1826

When the 'Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery' was passed in New York in 1799, careful...

$500.00

Adopted by:

  • Pauline Toole
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Central Park Drawing no. 35 Belvedere Castle Front Elevation Adopted
Central Park Drawing no. 35 Belvedere Castle Front Elevation

The Archives' collection includes roughly 2000 drawings related to the planning and construction...

$200.00

Adopted by:

  • Nancy Hughes
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Central Park Drawing no. 36 Belvedere Castle West Elevation Adopted
Central Park Drawing no. 36 Belvedere Castle West Elevation

The Archives' collection includes roughly 2000 drawings related to the planning and construction...

$200.00

Adopted by:

  • Nancy Hughes
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Land Patent of New Utrecht 1686 Adopted
Land Patent of New Utrecht 1686

When Thomas Dongan became governor of New York in 1683, he made many notable changes in the...

$200.00

Adopted by:

  • Alex Sommer and Caryn Lewi
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John Roebling Design Drawing for the Brooklyn Bridge Adopted
John Roebling Design Drawing for the Brooklyn Bridge

The 1867 drawing plan for the Brooklyn Bridge, as envisioned by John Roebling, is one of the...

$5000.00

Adopted by:

  • Carol Willis
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