3. Hall of Records at Surrogate’s Courthouse

The Hall of Records, a landmark Beaux Arts municipal building at 31 Chambers Street, is home to the NYC Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS), which operates the Municipal Archives, Municipal Library and Records Center. Designed by John Rochester Thomas, the building was completed in 1907 at a cost of $7.8 million. It is a fine example of Second Empire architecture, popular in the late 1800s as American cities competed culturally with the great cities of Europe.

On October 19th, guests may tour a number of exhibits on the city’s history and cultural life, including the Central Park Drawings, a rare selection of the original designs and illustrations for the great urban park; The Language of the City: Immigrant Voices – a multimedia exhibit based on oral histories gathered by the Brooklyn College Listening Project – juxtaposed with historical photographs, audiovisual recordings, and other material from the collections of the Archives and Library; and a preview of an upcoming exhibit on the relationship between water and financial instruments, co-produced with the Museum of American Finance.

Guided tours of the iconic building lobby will be offered at 1pm and 2pm on Saturday, October 19th.