Additional House and Building Research
While BHS has many great materials to use in researching a building, there are many other local resources you may find useful.  The following offers information on some of the other resources we recommend consulting when researching Brooklyn properties and buildings.

NYC Department of Buildings (DOB)
You can begin your research with the Brooklyn office of the DOB online by searching their Buildings Information System.  Just type in the address you are researching to get their report, which will give you block and lot numbers, and can include other information such as certificates of occupancy, work orders, building violations etc.  However, please be aware that many of the scanned certificates have been incorrectly matched with the addresses -- make sure to read the certificate to see if it is indeed related to your block and lot.

You can visit the Brooklyn office of the DOB on the 8th floor of 210 Joralemon Street in Brooklyn. There, you can request the files for a particular block and lot.  Many of the files for older buildings are kept off site, which will require a return visit. These files will give you additional information often not available online, and can give you clues as to previous uses of a particular building, such as whether it was ever a multi-family dwelling. Unfortunately, these files often do not include architectural plans.

NYC Department of Finance (DOF)
Like the DOB, the DOF also has a useful online database, ACRIS.  This database is searchable by block and lot number and offers up land deeds going back to 1966. 

For land deed information from approximately 1900 to 1966 you will need to visit the Brooklyn office of the DOF at 210 Joralemon Street in Brooklyn.  The DOF occupies two different spaces in the building; start your research in the City Register's office on the 1st floor (to your left once you enter at the main entrance). In this room are block and lot indexes, which show buyer/seller information from approximately 1900 to 1959.  You may see in the reference to a liber and page number, this refers to a particular land deed. If you want to view the land deed, take the liber/page numbers and go upstairs to room 203 on the 2nd floor.  Here you can request the microfilm of the deed.  Please note that if you want to make copies of the microfilm, there is a charge of $1 per page.

Kings County Surrogate's Court
When looking into the social history of a building, you may want to see if any previous owners or residents had a will probated in Kings County.  If they did, you can find it on the bottom floor of the Surrogate's Court, in room 109.  Sometimes wills provide clues as to what might have been in the home, or if a particular property you are researching was a rental.

NYC Municipal Archives
If you are interested in obtaining or viewing a photograph of a particular block and lot, the NYC Municipal Archives has the Tax Photograph Collection.  In the 1930s and 1940s, a photograph was taken of every block and lot in the five boroughs.  You can visit the archives in person at 31 Chambers Street, New York to view the image on microfilm, or you can order a print directly from their website.

Brooklyn Collection of the Brooklyn Public Library
One of the most useful resources available for any type of 19th century Brooklyn research is the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online (1841-1902). The Brooklyn Public Library has scanned and made available the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 1841 to 1902, a major Brooklyn newspaper that ran from 1841 to 1955.  You can search it to find information about past residents at a particular address, details about the building itself, and find other information such as articles about the construction of more well-known buildings or advertisements seeking maids or boarders.

NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC)
If the property you are researching is within a landmarked neighborhood, you can contact the LPC to see if they have any files on that particular neighborhood.

If you live within a landmarked neighborhood within the five boroughs and you have a question concerning what you can and cannot do with your property, you can contact an information officer at the LPC directly.

Neighborhood Preservation Center
A fairly new organization, the Neighborhood Preservation Center offers an excellent, searchable online database of fully scanned LPC reports.  They also have a small library that individuals can visit.  For more information, visit their website or contact them directly.

Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

of Columbia University
If you want to read more about building research, the staff at the Avery has compiled an excellent research guide for researching NYC buildings. In addition, they offer The New York Real Estate Brochure Collection, a digitized collection of advertising brochures, floor plans, price lists and related material that document residential and commercial real estate development in the five boroughs and outlying vicinities from the 1920s to the 1970s. The collection can be searched by keyword, address or building name and includes materials about many Brooklyn buildings.

Guide to Research at Brooklyn Historical Society

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