Historic American Buildings Survey
Historic American Buildings Survey reports
Historic structure reports prepared for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of the U.S. National Park Service, documenting several significant Manhattan addresses. They are the former Sheffield Farms Stable at 3229 Broadway by architect Frank A. Rooke (built 1903-1909); the Hotel Pennsylvania at 401 Seventh Avenue by architects McKim, Mead and White (completed 1919); and three McKim, Mead and White-designed buildings on Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus: Chandler Hall (1926-1928), Faculty House (1923), and Pupin Hall (1925-1926). The reports record the histories and physical features of each building as they were before planned alterations or demolition took place.
1 Linear feet in 1 record carton.
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
The documents in the collection are in English.
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The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), an initiative of the Heritage Documentation Programs of the U.S. National Park Service, was established in 1933 as a make-work program for architects, draftsmen, and photographers left jobless by the Great Depression. At first tasked with documenting a representative sampling of America's architectural heritage, HABS recorders have since amassed upwards of 500,000 measured drawings, photographs, and narrative histories for over 40,000 historic structures dating from Pre-Columbian times through the twentieth century. Most of this output is accessible in digitized form via the Library of Congress at loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/.
AKRF, an environmental, planning, and engineering consulting firm (founded in 1981 as Allee King Rosen & Fleming, Inc.) was contracted by Columbia University to undertake HABS-level documentation of four of the buildings represented in the present collection (see Box 1, Enclosures 1 through 4 in the container list). The fifth building, the Hotel Pennsylvania, was similiarly documented for review by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (see Box 1, Enclosure 5).
The reports in this collection contain site histories, renderings, floor plans, and photographs of architectural and interior features for five significant Manhattan locations: the Hotel Pennsylvania at 401 Seventh Avenue, designed by architects McKim, Mead and White (completed 1919); three McKim, Mead and White buildings on Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus—Chandler Hall (1926-1928), Faculty House (1923), and Pupin Hall (1925-1926)—and the former Sheffield Farms Stable at 3229 Broadway, designed by architect Frank A. Rooke (built 1903-1909). The reports document the physical appearance and condition of each building before planned alterations or demolition occurred.
The reports are filed chronologically by date of preparation.
Enclosure 5 includes an archivally stable DVD-R containing a digital (PDF) file of the complete report for the Hotel Pennsylvania. Researchers should accesses the printed copy.
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
This collection should be cited as: Historic American Buildings Survey Reports, PR 449, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, New-York Historical Society.
The initial five reports were the gift of Allee King Rosen & Fleming, Inc. (AKRF), Environmental and Planning Consultants, 2009 and 2022.
Archivist Joseph Ditta arranged and described this collection in September 2022.
This collection remains open to receive future accruals.
Offsite-Box: 1 Enclosure : 1 "Documentation of the Former Sheffield Farms Stable," 3229 Broadway (between West 129th and 130th Streets), Manhattan
Constructed 1903-1909; Frank A. Rooke, architect. Purchased by Columbia University, 2009. Façade dismantled and reconstructed at 51 Audubon Avenue (between West 167th and 168th Streets).
Offsite-Box: 1 Enclosure : 2 "Documentation of Chandler Hall, Columbia University," 3010 Broadway, Manhattan
Built 1926-1928 as an extention to Havemeyer Hall; McKim, Mead and White, architects.
Offsite-Box: 1 Enclosure : 3 "Documentation of Faculty House, Columbia University," 400 West 117th Street (at Morningside Drive), Manhattan
Designed and built 1923; McKim, Mead and White, architects.
Offsite-Box: 1 Enclosure : 4 "Documentation of Pupin Hall, Columbia University," 530 West 120th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue), Manhattan
Designed 1925 and built 1925-1926; McKim, Mead and White, architects.
Offsite-Box: 1 Enclosure : 5 "Documentation of the Hotel Pennsylvania," 401 Seventh Avenue (between West 32nd and 33rd Streets), Manhattan
Completed in 1919; McKim, Mead and White, architects.
This enclosure includes an archivally stable DVD-R containing a digital (PDF) file of the complete report. Researchers should accesses the printed copy.