Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Real Estate

This subject category, Real Estate, consists primarily of land site plans, advertisements, receipts, invoices, correspondence, and publications relating to real estate transactions, mainly land sales, building and home construction drawings, rental and mortgage documents and receipts, investment firms, real estate agents, and other businesses relating to the acquisition and development of real estate. There are images of buildings, and a few catalogs, pamphlets and publications related to real estate. It is arranged from the most fundamental component, land, through to finished product, i.e. a home, including the transactional processes of acquiring the property, and a building which sits upon it (via financing through a lease or mortgage). Materials from peripheral businesses related to property ownership such as lawyers or surveyors are also included. Series 1, Land Transfers, 1828-1914; undated, consist of bills, receipts, land grants and warrants, printed advertisements and invoices relating to the transfer of land in the United States. The materials include both personal and business transactions, between individuals and between businesses and individual buyers/sellers. The transactions occurred mainly in the Northeastern United States, primarily New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, with some from other areas. Materials in this series are arranged by type of transfer and then in chronological order. Subseries 1a, Land Sales, Exchanges and Trades, 1828-1914; undated, includes maps of land tracts, correspondence, solicitations, business cards, bills of sale, exchange or trade between sellers and buyers, and advertisements primarily by landowners for property sales. These materials are arranged in chronological order. Subseries 1b, Land Grants, Warrants, Deeds and Bonds, 1828-1890, include correspondence and official property deed documents. These materials are arranged by subject, and then in chronological order. Series 2, Buildings, 1639-1963; undated, consists of material related for the most part to residential property: receipts, invoices, correspondence, promotional literature, and blank forms (rental agreements, receipts, mechanic's liens, and mortgages). There are construction plans, prospectuses for apartment houses in Manhattan, rental receipts, leases, and rental/indenture agreements between lessors and lessees. These materials are concerned with businesses engaged in rental/sale or construction of residential property in the Northeastern United States (primarily New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania) with several from other areas in the United States. Materials in this series are arranged alphabetically by business name, and then in chronological order. Subseries 2a, Developers and Developments, Builders 1871-1931, includes advertisements and literature describing real estate developments (builder's multiple unit housing projects). These materials are arranged by name of the Developer or Development Company and then in chronological order. Subseries 2b, Residential Property, 1900-1963; undated, include promotional literature for cooperative apartment houses in New York City and photos/descriptions of residential property for sale in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Hudson Valley, New York areas. These materials are arranged by type (apartment house or estate) and then in chronological order. Subseries 2c, Rental Property, 1822-1916; undated, includes leases, receipts, rental property descriptions and advertisements, correspondence about repairs to rental property, blank rental agreement and rent receipt forms as well as blank forms for mortgages and mechanic's liens. These materials are arranged in chronological order. Subseries 2d, Historical Properties, 1639-1915; undated, include black and white and color drawings as well as black and white photos of historical properties in New York State, Massachusetts, New England, and unknown locations. These are almost all residential homes in rural settings. A pamphlet, published in 1912 "Forty of Boston's Historic Houses" shows homes in an urban environment. A pamphlet published in 1915 "American Historic Homes" shows photographs of the Jumal Mansion in New York City, Monticello (Virginia), The Hermitage (Nashville, Tennessee), Westover (Virginia), The Pickering House (Salem, Massachusetts), and Mount Vernon (Virginia). These materials are arranged in chronological order by date of the image. Series 3, Property Acquisition, 1823-1960; undated, includes mortgage documents and advertising materials from individual banks or other lenders, and Realtors or real estate agents. Materials in this series are arranged in three sub series: investment companies, mortgages, and Realtors/real estate agents. Within these sub series materials are arranged alphabetically by business name, and then in chronological order. Subseries 3a, Investment Companies, 1908-1928; undated, includes correspondence on letterhead stationary, solicitation letters, advertisements, stock and bond certificates, and published annual reports from companies involved in real estate investment or financing. These materials are arranged alphabetically by business name, and then in chronological order. Subseries 3b, Mortgages, 1823-1922; undated, consist of mortgage and indenture documents, and letterhead and personal correspondence related to mortgages. These materials are arranged in chronological order. Subseries 3c, Auctioneers, Realtors and Real Estate Agents, 1832-1888; undated, include advertising cards, promotional literature, advertisements, brochures, and correspondence on letterhead stationery related to the sale of property by a Realtor or real estate agent. These materials are arranged alphabetically by business name, and then in chronological order. Series 4, Businesses and People Related to Real Estate Transactions, 1836-1959; undated, contains documents regarding different kinds of businesses concerned with real estate transactions: companies performing tax searches, title searches, and offering insurance coverage, as well as an appraiser, an abstractor, a "real estate office," a "real estate manager," and a scheme for real estate valuation, Realtor training, lawyers and real estate boards and associations. This series includes correspondence on letterhead stationery, drawings, receipts, advertising cards, and business documents. It also includes black and white drawings, portraits of real estate tycoons. These materials are arranged by subject, and then in chronological order. Series 5, Government, 1836-1959; undated, includes documents relating to taxes, urban renewal projects in New York City, low income housing in Manhattan, municipal and federal government services. These materials are arranged by subject and then in chronological order where possible. Subseries 5a, Taxes, 1836-1897; undated, includes protest notices, assessments, receipts, and correspondence related to real estate taxes. These materials are arranged in chronological order. Subseries 5b, Services, 1852-1959; undated, includes documents related to various municipal and federal government services and offerings including urban renewal and low income housing. These materials are arranged by type of service and then in chronological order. Series 6, Publications, 1855-1930; undated includes pamphlets and government publications related to real estate. Publications include "A General Statement on the Subject of Public Lands," 1836, "A Catechism of Land Surveying, With Examples," 1855, "Real Estate Record and Builder's Guide," 1872, a New York City Directory from 1873, "Investment Nails and a Hammer," 1908, "The Real Estate Magazine," 1912, "Building Permits in the Principal Cities of the United States in 1929," 1930, and two undated publications, "The Real Estate Bulletin," and "The Home News." These are arranged in chronological order.