Arthur Weindorf subway collection
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Abstract
Photographs and clippings related to the New York City subway system, collected by subway engineer Arthur Weindorf. Photostats of subway posters and maps are included.
Biographical Note
Born in Long Island City, Arthur Weindorf (1885- 1979)was a practicing cartoonist in his early years. From 1908 to 1944 he worked as an architectural designer and engineer for the City of New York's Public Service Commission (the precursor to today's New York City Transit Authority.) During his tenure at the Public Service Commission, Weindorf collected drawings, clippings, maps, posters, and photographs of the New York City subway. In 1916 he built the first New York City subway model; his later models were displayed at the 1939-40 World's Fair. In addition to models, Weindorf also created illustrations, maps, certificates, and paintings for the Commission. Weindorf's non-subway-related artistic work was widely exhibited during his lifetime.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in seven series:
Series I. Drawings and Illustrations
Series II. Models and Exhibits
Series III. Subway Maps and Posters
Series IV. Clippings
Series V. Subway Construction Photographs
Series VI. Miscellaneous Materials
Series VII. Negatives
Scope and Content Note
The Arthur Weindorf Subway Collection spans the period from 1903-1974 and primarily contains photographs and photostats of drawings, models, and maps created by Arthur Weindorf during his tenure at the Public Service Commission. Also included are photographs taken by Public Service Commission photographers during the construction of the New York City subway system. The collection is divided into seven series: Drawings and Illustrations; Models and Exhibits; Subway Maps and Posters; Clippings; Subway Construction Photographs; Miscellaneous Materials; and Negatives.
After Arthur Weindorf's death, his daughter gave 259 items to the New-York Historical Society, all of which were numbered by the staff with Weindorf's initials; i.e. "AW17." Several newspaper clippings and eighteen negatives, which came with the same gift, were not numbered. Many of the numbered items were dispersed into other collections in the Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections; ten of these numbered items remain dispersed among other collections. As the numbering system did not appear to correspond to any sort of organization of the materials, the material was rearranged at the time of processing. An original numbered list is available in the department's Collection File.
Subjects
Organizations
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Topics
Access Restrictions
For more information on making arrangements to consult the collection, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as Arthur Weindorf Subway Collection, PR 127, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mrs. Mabel Davidson, June 1979.
About this Guide
Repository
Series I: Drawings and Illustrations
Scope and Contents note
Series I and II includes photographs and photostats of Weindorf's original work for the Public Service Commission. Drawings and models of subway tunnels, subway stations, subway line extensions, and other subway-related engineering issues can be found here. Many photos of drawings are mounted on thick brown scrapbook paper, with some items affixed to the verso.
Titles are transcribed, or, if in brackets, were assigned during processing. All sketches are by Weindorf unless otherwise noted.
Arrangement
Items are arranged by subject and by date, if known.
Subseries I.A. Cross-Sections
"Underground Railroad in front of the Grand Central Station", 1912
"7th Ave. bet. 53rd & 54th Sts." [3 copies], 1917
"Beekman Street East of Nassau Street" [2 copies], 1917
"Underpinning the IRT Subway in Park Row" [2 copies], 1919
[42nd St. at Fifth Ave.], 1922
[Along Sixth Ave., starting subway construction,], [1920-1929]
"Section through 33rd Street at Sixth Avenue and Broadway" [4 copies], 1931
"190th St. Overlook Terrace Station Looking South", 1939
Subseries I.B. Stations
[Proposed kiosk entrance], 1912
"Mosholu Parkway Station"
"Woodlawn Station", 1915
[Subway entrances, 42nd St. in front of Grand Central] [2 copies], 1920
"149th Street Subway Station", 1924
"Station on Eighth Ave. between 40th and 44th St.", 1929
"Fulton St. Station of Nassau-Broad St. Subway", 1930
"Queensboro Plaza Station", undated
Subseries I.C. Tracks
"Times Square Station" [4 copies], 1920
"Times Square Station". Oversize [4 copies], 1920
"Proposed Rapid Transit line" [in suburban districts], 1921
"Flexing of tracks at 53rd St. and Eighth Ave.", 1928
[Flexing at Smith St. and Schermerhorn St.], 1928
"Transit Facilities in Vicinity of 34th and Broadway" [2 copies], 1932
"Transit Facilities in Vicinity of 34th and Broadway" Oversize, 1932
"Passageway between 149th St. IRT Subway Station," [3 copies], 1937
"Passageway between 149th St. IRT Subway Station," Oversize [3 copies], 1937
"Proposed modification of Kingsbridge Road Underpass", 1937
"Proposed modification of Kingsbridge Road Underpass" Oversize, 1937
"Underground Times Square", 1944
"Underground Times Square" Oversize, 1944
"Proposed Reconstruction of present Rapid Transit Subway", undated
"Proposed Reconstruction of present Rapid Transit Subway" Oversize, undated
Subseries I.D. Tunnels
"Corner of Clark and Fulton Sts.," by P. P. Pullis and Weindorf, 1919
"Willoughby Street Tubes," by P. P. Pullis and Weindorf, 1919
"Corner of Old Slip and South St." and "Corner of Old Slip and Front St.," by P. P. Pullis and Weindorf, 1920
[42nd St. looking toward Times Square], 1922
"Fulton St. at Water St.", 1928
"Tubes under river bottom between Manhattan and Welfare Island,", 1928
[Tunnels crossing at Church & Fulton Sts.], 1928
[O'Rourke Twin tunnels] [2 copies], undated
Subseries I.E. Vehicular Tunnels, Mid-town Tunnel
"Mid-town Vehicular Tunnels, Long Island City Plaza, Scheme No. 4" [2 copies], [1920]
"Mid-town Vehicular tunnels and Hudson River Vehicular Tunnels, West Side Plazas", 1930
"Mid-town Vehicular Tunnels, Long Island City Plaza", 1930
"Mid-town Vehicular Tunnels, Long Island City Plaza, Scheme No. 2" / on verso: "Cross Section of Nassau St. Looking south", 1930
"Mid-town Vehicular Tunnels, Long Island City Plaza, Scheme No. 3" / on verso: "IRT line at Wall and William Sts.", 1930
Subseries I.F. Miscellaneous
"Proposed Memorial Bridge connecting boroughs of Brooklyn & Richmond", 1920
"Design of a Typical Building, New York World's Fair", 1939
[Underground subway construction] [2 copies], 1940
"Bomb Proof Shelter", 1941
"Bomb Proof Shelter." Oversize, 1941
[Retirement certificate for William Siebert], 1941
[Retirement certificate for William Siebert] Oversize, 1941
"Trackway Shelter, Lexington Ave., Manhattan" [2 copies], 1942
"Trackway Shelter, Lexington Ave., Manhattan." Oversize [2 copies], 1942
"Proposed Modification of the City Hall El. Station", 1944
"Proposed Modification of the City Hall El. Station." Oversize, 1944
[Retirement certificate for Dr. John J. Moorhead], 1944
[Retirement certificate for Dr. John J. Moorhead] Oversize, 1944
[Retirement certificate for Ralph Russell Monroe], 1944
[Retirement certificate for Ralph Russell Monroe] Oversize, 1944
"City of New York Substation 2", undated
"Subway Air Raid Shelter", undated
Series II: Models and Exhibits
Scope and Contents
Series I and II includes photographs and photostats of Weindorf's original work for the Public Service Commission. Drawings and models of subway tunnels, subway stations, subway line extensions, and other subway-related engineering issues can be found here. Many photos of drawings are mounted on thick brown scrapbook paper, with some items affixed to the verso.
Titles are transcribed, or, if in brackets, were assigned during processing. All sketches are by Weindorf unless otherwise noted.
Arrangement
Items are arranged by subject and by date, if known.
Subseries II.A. Cross-Sections
[74th St. and Lexington Ave.] [3 copies] / on verso: "Mid-town Vehicular Tunnels, East Side Plaza", [1915]
[Weindorf with model showing 8th Avenue Subway], 1932
Subseries II.B. Roads
[Grand Central Diagonal Station site], [1915]
[Pittsburgh, new highway proposal] [2 copies], 1930
[Pittsburgh, new highway proposal] Oversize, 1930
[Several blocks of houses with overpass] [2 copies], 1931
[Proposed viaduct across Bronx Park], 1938
"Proposed improvement to Brooklyn Bridge", 1941
[Bushwick Yards], undated
[Riverside Park], undated
[Riverside Park] Oversize, undated
[Underpass at Grand Concourse] [2 copies], undated
[Washington Heights area of Manhattan], undated
[West Side Highway] [2 copies], undated
Subseries II.C. Stations
[125th and Lexington Ave. Station] [2 copies], [1915]
"34th St. Station, Route No. 101" [4 copies], 1931
"34th St. Station, Route No. 101." Oversize [4 copies], 1931
"City Subway Structures at Fourth Avenue and 10th St., Brooklyn," World's Fair exhibit, 1939
[Fourth Avenue Viaduct at Smith Street, Brooklyn], undated
"Underground subways at Times Square", undated
Subseries II.D. Tunnels
[Midtown Tunnel tubes], 1930
Subseries II.E. Miscellaneous
[Weindorf in cutaway subway car], World's Fair exhibit / on verso: "IRT and BMT subway structures at Times Square," World's Fair exhibit, 1939
[World's Fair Exhibit], 1939
Series III: Subway Maps and Posters
Scope and Contents note
Series III includes a number of posters and maps Weindorf designed for the Public Service Commission which may have been used as advertisements in subway cars and buses. They describe how to take the subway to various points of interest in New York City, such as the Cloisters, the Museum of Natural History, and the World's Fair grounds in Flushing, Queens. One poster details how to get to the "New York Municipal Airport Laguardia Field" by subway and bus. Weindorf designed many of the standard subway route maps used by the PSC in the 1930s and 1940s. Several of these maps appear here, including one with the routes of the IRT lines and another with those of the IND lines.
Titles are transcribed, or, if in brackets, were assigned during processing. The series is divided into two subseries: Maps; and Posters; thereunder, items are arranged by date, if known.
Subseries III.A. Maps
[New York subway lines], 1918
"Routes of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company," drawn by D. L. Turner & Weindorf [2 copies], 1920
"Proposed Rapid Transit Lines" / on verso: "A Real Home at Robin Wood, Beechurst, Flushing,", 1922
[Rapid Transit Lines (Subway and Elevated)], 1922
"Location of Stations - Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad,", 1936
"Location of Stations - Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad." Oversize, 1936
"Station Guide, New York City Transit System, IND Division", [1939-40]
"Station Guide, New York City Transit System, IND Division" Oversize, [1939-1940]
"Station Guide, New York City Transit System, IND Division," [2 copies], [1941-45]
"Station Guide, New York City Transit System, IND Division." Oversize [2 copies], [1941-1945]
Subseries III.B. Posters
"American Museum of Natural History", [1935]
"American Museum of Natural History." Oversize, [1935]
"Fort Tryon Parkand the Cloisters" [2 copies], [1935]
"Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters." Oversize [2 copies], [1935]
"New York Municipal Airport Laguardia Field", undated
"New York Municipal Airport Laguardia Field." Oversize, undated
Series IV: Clippings
Scope and Contents note
Series IV. contains newspaper and magazine clippings and articles. A series of articles about Weindorf in the Queens County Times from September 1973 to December 1974 details his life and reproduces some of his early cartoon and postcard drawings. Also included are three issues of the Interborough Bulletin, from 1913 to 1915. Several other clippings feature Weindorf's sketches of subway routes and stations.
"The Joys of Subway Building" [1922 Sketch published Dec. 1923 in a New York State Transportation Commission publication]
Weindorf with model of apartment house, photo published in Herald Tribune, 1932
Clipping from New York World-Telegram, April 25, 1936, painting by Weindorf shown
"Section through 33rd Street at Sixth Avenue and Broadway," drawing reproduced in Architectural Record, 1939
"An under-river shield Tunnel which is being constructed without gravel packing," drawing by John F. O'Rourke, published in The Bulletin.
Clippings from the Interborough Bulletin, 1913-1915
Clippings from the Queens County Times, 1973-1974
Series V: Subway Construction Photographs
Scope and Contents note
Series V contains 110 photographs taken by the Public Service Commission between 1913 and 1938 to document the New York City subway construction. The photographs here are roughly grouped by subject and are mostly underground views. Weindorf may have used these photographs as visual sources for his drawings and models, especially those photographs of tunnels. Researchers should consult the Print Room's Subway Construction Photograph Collection (PR 069) for a description of these photographs.
Equipment - 9 photos, 1917-1932
Stations - 6 photos, 1924-1932
Street Scenes - 15 photos, 1926-1930
Tracks - 8 photos, 1916-1936
Trains and trolley cars - 9 photos, 1924-[1940]
Tunnels - 26 photos, 1913-1938
Underground scenes - 31 photos, 1919-1938
Miscellaneous - 6 photos, undated
Series VI: Miscellaneous Materials
Scope and Contents note
Series VI includes what appear to be Weindorf's personal snapshots, as well as a chart showing public investment in transportation from 1860-1920. The snapshots date from 1903 and one shows children playing. A panoramic photograph of the west side of Manhattan island is also included in this series.
"Burden's Woods, 1903" [snapshot of children], 1903
"Ravenswoods 1903, where bridge comes across in Queens" [snapshot of snowscape], 1903
[Chart showing investment in transportation from 1860-1920], [1920]
[Panoramic View along riverbank], photo, 1920
[Panoramic View along riverbank], photo. Oversize, 1920
[House], cyanotype [4 variations], undated
Series VII. Negatives
Scope and Contents note
Series VII is comprised of both glass and film negatives. All but two are 8 x 10 inches. The two 11 x 14 negatives are both of subway route maps drawn by Weindorf in 1920. Most of the other negatives are images of Weindorf's models.
Negatives are organized by medium. All models are by Weindorf.