I recently listened to a talk by a prominent engineer on the need to do the most basic site research before getting too deeply involved in proposing alterations to historic buildings. His point was largely that design professionals often don't appreciate the early construction methods, prior to building codes and the professionalization of engineering. His rather alarmist perspective was tempered by some basic stuff I think we all know: Do your homework.
Urban construction often has layers and layers of history that is there to uncover, not just in the field but by doing good preliminary sight research.
Consider this example: You're looking at a loft in SoHo, and you thinking, "Right. It's a loft built c. 1890. Done." Not so fast. It's very likely that there's an early 18th century wood frame building inside, due to the early construction methods of creating party walls. Surprise! Because many of these buildings were attached, and keyed into one another, cutting beams was to compromise your neighbor. So when you built up, you built on top of whatever was already there.
See this roof outline along the side of this building on Crosby Street? That's the outline of what might lie inside its still-standing neighbors. By doing some research into current and historic data, you can learn more information that will help you understand the existing structure in question, and inform your in-the-field observations.
Here in NYC it's easier than ever to do research about particular buildings and their sites without leaving your computer. Starting from large scale to small scale:
1. Use OASIS and NYC GIS
Oasis is great for chekcing out historic and present ecological features. Are you working at a site close to the shore that may have once been in the water? Check out the aerial timeline set to see the historical shoreline. NYC GIS has georectified a set of 1924 aerial images. Enter in the site's address and click on the camera icon. Then move the timeline to 1924 to see the site from above in 1924. Slide the timeline back to the present to see how it's changed.
2. Use the Digital Fire Insurance Maps from NYPL to research the site's history. In particular, look at the atlases from the 1850s to start out. Was your site built on? What was it? Use the key and look carefully. Then trace the property forward through time on subsequent maps.
3. Use the Department of Buildings' information system, BIS, to learn any history of permits, "actions" (early violations), and current violations. These can hint at prior work and the types of violations which may still exist. Lots of violations can mean years of neglect or absentee owners.
4. Use the Department of Housing Preservation and Development's website to search for property information by "Complaints, Violations, and Registration Information" to review violations and check the "I-Card", which can often have a floor plan for a multi-family home. This will help you determine if structural members have been moved between the I-Card plan and today's configuration.
5. Look up the property's records with the Department of Finance's ACRIS to see ownership patterns.
6. Google! Be a good internet stalker of the past. Look for historic articles from newspapers. Check the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and the New York Times historical databases. You never know, there may be an article about a fire or a write up when the building was constructed.
7. And, of course, if the building is a landmark, read the Landmarks Preservation Commission Designation Report section.
All of this information can help illuminate clues found in the field and inform what types of interventions will be safe and appropriate in the future. Happy sleuthing.
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