The Gotham Center for New York City History: A good place to search for New York City History, "The Gotham Center’s mission is to examine and explore the city's rich history, and to make it more accessible to citizens and scholars, teachers and students, locals and out-of-towners. We accomplish this by bringing together an array of talented scholars and buffs, curators and archivists, librarians and teachers, filmmakers and preservationists, all of whom study, preserve, and present its rich and fascinating past."

Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy A fabulous collection has been built up at the New York Public Library's Research Division for the United States which is rich in New York City resources.

Municipal Archives

Buildings, Streets addresses, local and neighborhood history 

My City Portal: Through a partnership between the Municipal Art Society and the City of New York, CITI users can now access the enhanced New York City Map Portal for detailed maps, building and property data, subway information, community statistics and more.

New York City Buildings: Research Guide: Avery Library has one of the country's greatest Architectural collections and the research guides to match. Why reinvent the wheel?

New York City Department of Buildings Database: "You can search for general information on a property in the city including recorded complaints and violations, actions, applications, and inspections. You can also search for information about tradespeople licensed by the Department. The information provided here comes directly from the Department's Building Information System.

Books for the History of Street Names

 

BRONX: John McNamara. History in Asphalt: The Origin of Bronx Street and Place Names, The Bronx, New York City. 3rd edition. The Bronx, N.Y : The Bronx County Historical Society, 1991.  REF 1 F128.68.B8 M3 1991. There is also a circulating reprint in the stacks but the reference copy is the better choice because it has additional material such as maps and an appendix of street names.

BROOKLYN: Leonard Benardo and Jennifer Weiss. Brooklyn by Name: How the Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks, Bridges, and More Got Their Names.  New York: New York University Press, 2006. F129.B7 B48 2006

MANHATTAN: Henry Moscow. The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street Names and Their Origins. New York: Fordham University Press, 1990. REF 1 F128.67.A1 M6 1990. The book to look up the origins and history of Manhattan street names.

Staten Island is an unknown...