On
November 7, 2024, SAH/SCC members were invited to attend an open house at theSanborn Map Collectionroom at California State
University, Northridge (CSUN). Produced by the Sanborn Map
Company from the late 1860s to mid 1970s, Sanborn Fire Insurance Atlases are
highly detailed historical maps that allowed insurance companies to assess fire
risk for individual structures in urban and commercial areas throughout North
America. They are an invaluable tool for architectural historians. While
the Los Angeles Public Library provides digital access to black-and-white
versions of these maps, the colorful Sanborns from 4,100 individual atlases
covering more than 1,600 cities and towns available at CSUN are a unique
resource.
The CSUN collection
was originally rescued from the Sanborn Fire Insurance company’s San Francisco
office. As buildings changed throughout time, dedicated Sanborn employees would
review and update the building footprints in the atlases by pasting new line
drawings over previous maps. The maps held at CSUN are primarily from towns on
the West Coast.
They were particularly useful to
former CSUN Professor of History Merry Ovnick. Archivist David Deis explained
how Merry had used the book to document the evolution of the Boyle Heights
neighborhood and track social change there.
It was a
reminder of Merry’s thoughtful and painstaking approach to historical research.
Merry, who passed away in 2024, was a former Board Member and Past-President of
SAH/SCC. Our organization honors her memory with the Merry Ovnick Fellowship,
which sponsors the attendance of a graduate student applicant at the Society of
Architectural Historians annual conference. If you would like to donate to this
fund, please go to www.sahscc.org and
look for the link on the home page that says “Donate to the Merry Ovnick
Fellowship Fund.”
The
Sanborn Map Room open house was organized by SAH/SCC member and photographer
Steven Schafer. Thanks to Schaf for making the collection available and making
this very important architectural history tool tangible.
