Architecture: Maps

Fire insurance maps, detailed New York City maps, which show building structures, lot dimensions, shoreline locations and sometimes, property ownership. Courtesy of the NYPL's Map Division

NOTE: NEED full access to Historic Sanborn Maps database (1860-1970)? Visit the NYPL Schwartzman (42nd St/5th Ave) or the Schomburg Center (135th St/Lenox Ave) for onsite access.

An array of information including land-use maps for each of the city's 59 community districts. Population statistics are available as well as institutional information such as schools, libraries, etc.

The Open Accessible Space Information System (OASIS) website provides the richest source of community maps for New York City -- free and all in one place.

Provides a detailed view of demographic changes in the United States through the use of interactive maps and data reports. The database contains hundreds of interactive data maps of the United States. Courtesy of Queens College.

Find online resources about NYC, NY State, the US, and beyond. This includes: maps, census data, digital historic map libraries, and other mapping resources. Courtesy of the Columbia University Libraries.

Mapping historical photographs with New York City’s grid. Photographic images of New York City (1870s-1970s) are location markers. Courtesy rom the NYPL.

A tool for digitally aligning ("rectifying") historical maps from the NYPL's collections to match today's precise maps.

locate region or neighborhood, Street and aerial views. User-friendly for architecture students.

Mapping Inequality introduces viewer to the records of the Home Owners' Loan Corporation on a scale that is unprecedented. Here you can browse more than 150 interactive maps and thousands of "area descriptions."

Online Historic Maps.

Over 32,000 maps and images online. The collection focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North American and South American maps and other cartographic materials. Historic maps of the World, Europe, Asia, and Africa are also represented.

Free online access to historic and current aerial photographs. You can track an area over time for contour & aerial maps. There's a moderate charge for prints. (Coverage: US only)

The Nolli Web Site presents the 1748 Nolli map of Rome as a dynamic, interactive, hands-on tool. It provides rich information, and has the ability to be updated with new data over time to embrace expanding knowledge.

The focus of Map Collections is Americana and Cartographic Treasures of the Library of Congress. These images were created from maps and atlases and, in general, are restricted to items that are not covered by copyright protection. Digital maps represent a small fraction of the LOC's 4.5 million items in its Geography and Map Division.

A limited selection of online historical Sanborns for approximately 28 states. (Excludes NY)

This site considers itself THE gateway to historic map collections. It was started 15 years ago & is updated frequently by Tony Campbell (former Map Librarian, British Library, London).

A large map collection owned by the Perry-Castañeda Library at UT/Austin. Covers Texas, the US, and beyond.

Currently more than 141,000 GeoPDF maps of the approximate 180,000 in the full collection are available for download. The project is ongoing.

Manhattan and Brooklyn (1850s-1860) fire insurance maps show streets, blocks, tax lots, and current use classifications; they also indicate locations of former streams and related natural features, earlier roads, previous land uses, lot lines, and more.

CIA Maps from around the world.

A diverse collection of real life maps contributed by map lovers worldwide. Easy to find and explore maps by keyword, location, or simply by browsing a map.

Free and open access to over 800,000 images digitized from the The New York Public Library's vast collections, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints, photographs, and more.

A broad collection of historical maps from around the world.

The World Digital Library (WDL) is available FREE in multilingual format. It offers significant primary materials from countries and cultures around the world.

The resource provides the geographic and quantitative dimensions of urban expansion and its key attributes in cities the world over. Data and images are freely available for downloading.

The resource provides the geographic and quantitative dimensions of urban expansion and its key attributes in cities the world over. Data and images are freely available for downloading.

World Bank Group product developed to identify potential high-wind areas for wind power generation, and perform preliminary calculations. Download high-resolution maps showing global, regional, and country wind resource potential.

World Bank Group production intended to support solar power development in the initial phases of development. It also provides long-term averages of solar resource.