Olin Library -
Maps & Geospatial Information A Guide to Olin Library Holdings
 |
access restricted to the Cornell
community NEW! Digital Sanborn maps Description |
Description
Sanborn fire insurance maps were produced by the Sanborn Map Company to
provide accurate, current and detailed information to the fire insurance
industry for risk assessment purposes. Between 1867 and 1970, the Company
had mapped over 12,000 U.S. towns. The maps were revised periodically
in order to be accurate and suitable for the intended use. This series
of revisions provides the historical researcher with an invaluable series
of neighbourhood snapshots.
The maps typically show a bird's eye view of a community at the scale of one inch to fifty feet. At this scale, it is possible to show each building in outline. The original maps were color encoded to indicate each building's exterior construction material. A complex set of symbols -- initials, numerals, an assortment of lines, circles and squares -- are used to describe a building's use, composition and appearance.
Holdings:
Entire United States
1867 - 1970. Coverage varies by place. Use
Digital Sanborn maps
Consult this guide in conjunction with the
online maps. Fire Insurance Plans in the Library of Congress: A Checklist.
Washington : Library of Congress, 1981. (MAPS +Z6026 I7 U58 1981)
District of Columbia
1888 - 1959. Film 5679. 4 reels. Also in
Digital Sanborn maps
1984 - 1985. Film 6670. 2 reels. INDEX
to this film
Ithaca:
1883. MAPS DISK G3804 I7 1883 S19. From original
held in RMC. INDEX
1888, 1893, 1898, 1904, 1910, 1919, 1929, 1961. Film 5835. Also in
Digital Sanborn maps
1971. Film 6671.
Massachusetts
1884 - 1950s. Film 5879. 48 reels. Also in
Digital Sanborn maps
New York State
1884 - 1950s. Film 5835. 109 reels. Also in
Digital Sanborn maps
1950s - 1990.Film 6671. 32 reels.
INDEX to this film
New York City - includes Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhatten,
Queens, Staten Island
1880s to 1950s. Film 5835. Also in
Digital Sanborn maps
1960s - 1990. Film 7034. New York City.
78 reels. INDEX to this film
1975 - 2002. MAPS++1254 N52 S19 Sanborn
Manhattan Land Book of the City of New York. Covers Manhattan only.
Issued annually. Current edition received 2004.
Pennsylvania:
1884 - 1950s. Film 5666. 73 reels. Also in
Digital Sanborn maps
Last updated on November 4, 2004