Street names in New York City often have varied and fascinating origins. The City Hall Library collection offers a number of resources for anyone interested in researching this topic.

The Street and Place Name index is a comprehensive card file listing of streets in the five boroughs, both named and numbered, as well as places such as parks, squares, triangles, etc. Organized alphabetically by street or place name, cards list former name(s) if any, date name was changed, law or resolution designating name change and who or what the street was named after. Any sources consulted such as City Council Proceedings or historical books are cited for further reference.

The Street Book: Encyclopedia of Manhattan’s Street Names and Their Origins by Henry Moscow, features maps, photos and drawings, presents short histories of various Manhattan street names. History in Asphalt: the Origin of Bronx Street and Place Names by John McNamara is a guide to that borough, though not illustrated.

Fifth Avenue, the street that divides the East and West sides, is profiled in On Fifth Avenue: Then and Now by Ronda Wist and Fifth Avenue by Theodore James, Jr. The first book includes descriptive history of Fifth Avenue from the early 19th century until 1992 with photos and drawings. The book by Theodore James, Jr. is mainly a pictorial history of the avenue. Visit the home of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Saks Fifth Avenue and appreciate the marvels of this street.

The Street that Never Slept by Arnold Shaw tells the story of 52nd Street or Swing Street, once the center of the entertainment scene, now home to mostly office buildings. Interviews and photos highlight the story of speakeasies, debutantes, jazz musicians and other assorted places and characters that were part of the street from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Broadway, possibly the longest street in the world, the Great White Way, is the subject of On Broadway: a Journey Uptown over Time by David W. Dunlap. It includes a history of the street by area, starting with downtown Manhattan and ending in Washington Heights/Marble Hill. A wealth of photos and descriptions of buildings and other sites complement the text. Incidentally, according to the Encyclopedia of New York City, the moniker “Great White Way,” comes from the large number of electric signs, used for advertising mainly in the theatre district.

Also, the vertical files include articles on street name history and individual streets. So be sure to take advantage of these great resources.

ACQUISITIONS LIST, APRIL 2005

The following publications were received by the City Hall Library in the month of April. Additional government publications can be found online in our Government Publications section.

Alliance for Downtown New York, Inc.
State of lower Manhattan 2004. [2005]

Columbia University. Faculty Ad Hoc Grievance Committee.
Report re: examination of student complaints of intimidation in the classroom by faculty in the department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures. [2005]

Gotham Archaeology, LLC
Hudson Center Hotel site: phase 1B topic-intensive archaeological survey. Prepared for EAI, Inc. September 19, 2002. (96BSA048M)

Hartgen Archaeological Associates, Inc.
Archaeological monitoring Con Edison utility trenches, Chambers Street, Manhattan. Prepared for Consolidated Edison. October 2004.

Historical Perspectives, Inc.
Bronx River Pedestrian Greenway: archaeological documentary study. Prepared for AKRF, Inc. and N. Y. C. Landmarks Preservation Commission. December 2004.

Historical Perspectives, Inc.
Phase 1A archaeological assessment: Rego Park Retail and Residential Center, Queens, N. Y. Prepared for AKRF, Inc. and N. Y. C. Department of Environmental Protection. October 27, 2004.

Historical Perspectives, Inc.
Phase 1B archaeological testing: Croton Water Treatment Plant, Mosholu Golf Course, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, N. Y. (DEP/98DEP027X). Prepared for N. Y. C. Department of Environmental Protection.

Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
Achieving adequacy: tax options for New York in the wake of the CFE case. Washington: April 2005.

Alyssa Loorya, M.A., R.P.A.
Phase 1A archaeological documentary study for the proposed development of 63-65, Columbia Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. Final report. Prepared for . . . N. Y. C. Landmarks Preservation Commission. February 2005. (BSA 04BSA005K)

Alyssa Loorya, M.A.
Phase 1B cultural resource monitoring of the infrastructure and windmill project, Queens County Farm Museum: Final report. New York. Prepared for N. Y. C. Department of Parks and Recreation. December 2004.

Alyssa Loorya and Christopher Ricciardi
Phase 1B cultural resource monitoring of the landscape project, Pieter Glaesen Wycoff House, Brooklyn, N. Y. Final report. Prepared for the N. Y. C. Department of Parks and Recreation. December 2004.

Alyssa Loorya and Christopher Ricciardi
Roger Morris Park (Morris-Jumel Mansion) emergency cultural monitoring project New York, New York: final report. Prepared for the N. Y. C. Department of Parks and Recreation, March 2005. (Project no. M0730105M)

John Milner Associates, Inc.
Phase 1A archaeological sensitivity study: NYCDEP water tunnel no. 3. Prepared for Schiavone Construction Co., Inc and N. Y. C. Department of Environmental Protection. January 2005.

Mason Tillman Associates, Ltd.
City of New York disparity study: report. Prepared for N. Y. City Council Economic Development Committee. January 2005.

Massand Engineering, L.S., P.C.
Total design for reconstruction of Liberty Avenue, Sutter Avenue, Glenmore Avenue bridges over LIRR, Brooklyn, N. Y. : project contract documents. (Contract nos. HBK1034/HBK1196) March 31, 2005.

New School University. Milano Graduate School. Center for New York City Affairs.
Community collaboration in New York City: charting the course for a neighborhood-based safety net. March 2005.

NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign.
Subway cars are dirtier for the first time in five years. April 21, 2005.

N. Y. City. Comptroller.
Audit report on the Business Integrity Commission’s administration of the shipboard gambling fiduciary accounts. April 5, 2005.

N. Y. City. Comptroller.
Audit report on the compliance of Hyatt Equities, LLC with its lease agreement. April 21, 2005. (No. 7619)

N. Y. City. Comptroller.
Audit report on the inventory controls of Bellevue Hospital Center over noncontrolled drugs and medical and surgical supplies. April 21, 2005. (Report no. 7618)

N. Y. City. Comptroller.
Audit report on the New York Yankees rental credits for the second quarter of 2004. (April 1—June 30, 2004) April 5, 2005.

N. Y. City. Council.
Fiscal 2004 preliminary budget response. 5 parts. April 2003.

N. Y. City. Council.
Fiscal 2006 preliminary budget response. 5 parts. April 2005.

N. Y. City. Council. Commission on the Campaign for Fiscal Equality.
Fulfilling the promise: getting high quality teachers into every New York City classroom and keeping them there. Report of the commission, Part 1. April 2005.

N. Y. City. Council. Committee on Oversight and Investigations.
Food stamp enrollment and growing hunger in New York City: a staff report. February 2005.

N. Y. City. Council. Education Committee.
Correcting juvenile injustice: a bill of rights for children released from custody. [2005]

N. Y. City. Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of.
Biennial report, 2002-2003.

N. Y. City. Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of.
Comprehensive mosquito surveillance and control plan. 2003.

N. Y. City. Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of.
Comprehensive mosquito surveillance and control plan. 2004.

N. Y. City. Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of.
Comprehensive mosquito surveillance and control plan. 2005.

N. Y. City. Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of.
Local government plan: alcoholism and substance abuse services. 2005.

N. Y. City. Independent Budget Office
Analysis of the Mayor’s preliminary budget for 2006. March 2005.

N. Y. City. Independent Budget Office.
Evaluating the fiscal impact of the Housing Stability Plus Program. (IBO Fiscal Brief) March 2005.

N. Y. City. Landmarks Preservation Commission.
(Former) Germania Bank Building, 190 Bowery, New York, NY. Designation List 360. March 29, 2005.

N. Y. City. Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Landmark designation site: James L. and Lucinda Bedell house, Staten Island, New York. (Designation List no. 361.) April 12, 2005.

N. Y. City. Rent Guidelines Board.
2005 income and affordability study. April 12, 2005.

N. Y. City. Rent Guidelines Board.
2005 mortgage survey. March 29, 2005.

N. Y. City. Rent Guidelines Board.
2005 price index of operating costs. April 25, 2005.

Public Policy Institute of New York State, Inc.
Medicaid watch ’05. Issues no. 1-8. March-April, 2005.

Queens Public Library. New American Program.
Queens Library Service Areas: a profile of English language learners in the public school system based on SY 2003-04 statistics. Spring 2005.

STV Incorporated/Urbitran Associates, and
N. Y. City. Design and Construction, Department of.
Preliminary design report: Nostrand Avenue from Flushing Avenue to Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. February 2005.

U. S. Census Bureau. News.
Americans spend more than 100 hours commuting to work each year, Census Bureau reports. March 30, 2005.

U. S. Government Accountability Office.
September 11: recent estimates of fiscal impact of 2001 terrorist attack on New York. Report to Congressional requestors. March 2005.

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