The New York City Department of Records and Information Service’s mission is to foster civic life by protecting, preserving, and providing access to the historical and contemporary records of New York City government, ensuring that city records are properly maintained following professional archival and record management practices, and to make materials available to diverse communities both online, and in person.
Wooden railings from 9/11 commemoration events—covered in handwritten messages from victims’ family members—have been photographed and transcribed by the NYC Department of Records and Information Services to preserve the messages as a memorial to those we’ve lost.
Learn More
The Department of Records and Information Services, offers a selection of historical photographs from its Municipal Archives, featuring images of immigrants in the city.
The Municipal Archives presents an exhibition drawn from a collection of more than 5,000 photographs taken or collected by the New York City Unit of the Federal Writers’ and Art Projects of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
Learn More
New York City is constantly changing. Cycles of growth, decay, and renewal have altered the bricks and mortar of its physical environment and the humans who live here. “Living in the City” vividly illustrates how the housing landscape in New York City changed during the four decades from 1961 to 2001.
Learn More
These images capture a rich cross-section of the city’s population, depicting dress and social status in addition to possible criminal behavior. Focusing solely on women captured by police camera, this exhibit examines how these unique portraits offer a fascinating window into the lives of women in early 20th-century New York.
Learn More
The NYC Municipal Archives invites you to explore a hundred-year history of the Brooklyn waterfront through photographs dating from 1870 to 1974.
Learn MoreThis website was made possible thanks to the generous support and partnership of 