Surrogate's Court

A National Historic Landmark. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. 16 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1898.

From the record

“The Surrogate's Courthouse is a historic building at the northwest corner of Chambers and Centre Streets in the Civic Center of Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Completed in 1907, it was designed in the Beaux Arts style.”
Wikipedia article Surrogate's Courthouse, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 601 National Register listings published here for New York County · listed in 1972 · category: Building · a National Historic Landmark.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article

The listing

Address. 31 Chambers St., New York, 10007
When was it listed? January 1972
Category. building
Borough. Manhattan
Architectural style. Beaux-Arts
Architect. John Rochester Thomas
National Register reference number. 72000888 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Then and now

1898 to 1986

The ground this property stands on, surveyed 88 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet covering Surrogate's Court, surveyed 1986

Topographic sheet covering Surrogate's Court, surveyed 1898

Fires near this property

1,153 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1,153 fires within 5 miles of Surrogate's Court between 1995 and 2020, burning about 342 acres in total. 81 started naturally. 94 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	723
Arson/incendiarism	94
Natural	81
Smoking	73
Equipment and vehicle use	56
Debris and open burning	49
Misuse of fire by a minor	30
Fireworks	25
Recreation and ceremony	8
Railroad operations and maintenance	7
Other causes	4
Power generation/transmission/distribution	3

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
9 September 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Fire Department of New York	NA
9 September 2014	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Fire Department of New York	not named
9 September 2010	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Fire Department of New York	not named
9 September 2005	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Fire Department of New York	not named
9 September 2005	Smoking	under an acre	Fire Department of New York	not named
8 September 2011	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Fire Department of New York	not named
7 September 2016	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Fire Department of New York	N/A
7 September 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Fire Department of New York	NA

Every fire recorded in New York County

Mines and quarries near this property

8 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Surrogate's Court: 6 occurrences, 2 unknowns. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Iron, Graphite, Manganese, Molybdenum. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
49th St & 1st Ave Beryl Deposit	Beryllium	Occurrence
64th St & 10th Ave Stilbite Deposit	Zeolites	Occurrence
69th/70th Sts & 2nd Ave Deposit	Iron, Garnet, Titanium	Occurrence
Dixon Crucible/ Jersey City, N.J.	Graphite	Unknown
General Metallic Oxides/Jersey City	Manganese	Unknown
Manhattan Island Occurrence	Molybdenum	Occurrence
2nd St & 4th Ave Siderite Deposit	Iron	Occurrence
55th/56th Sts & 3rd Ave Deposit	Iron	Occurrence

Every working recorded in New York County

Storms near this property

44 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names New York, the town this property stands in, in 44 storm reports between 1996 and 2024: 16 flash flood, 16 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 4 flood. The reports record 7 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
April 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	2 hurt	no account filed
June 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	2 hurt	no account filed
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	1 hurt, $6,000	A tree limb fell on a car on West 46th Street at 8th Avenue. One person was taken to the hospital with injuries.
May 2024	Lightning	New York	1 hurt	One person injured when a building on Pine Street near Water Street in Lower Manhattan was struck by lightning.
July 2006	Lightning	New York	1 hurt	no account filed
November 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	$5,000	Downed scaffolding at 18th Street and Seventh Avenue. Time estimated by radar.
July 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	$4,000	Multiple trees were down. Debris from a construction site also fell at the same location.
May 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	$4,000	Windows were blown out at the Rector Place and Gateway Plaza. Numerous trees were knocked over. There was damage to the revolving door at The Solaire in River Terrace.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	$3,000	The NYPD reports wires down in Lower Manhattan.
May 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	$3,000	Numerous trees were reported down along South End Avenue, especially between Albany and Liberty Streets. Eight trees fell into Merchant's River House, damaging the outdoor seating area.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	$1,000	Tree down at the intersection of 9th Avenue and 45th Street.
September 2021	Flash Flood	New York	-	Flooding was reported at the 28th Street subway station on 7th Avenue in Greenwich Village.
September 2021	Flash Flood	New York	-	Flooding was reported on the eastbound ramp from the center tube of the Lincoln Tunnel to 36th Street in Greenwich Village. All lanes were closed.
November 2021	Hail	New York	-	Hail of 1.25 inches in diameter was measured in Greenwich Village.
November 2021	Hail	New York	-	Hail of 3/4 inch diameter was measured.
July 2020	Flash Flood	New York	-	Barclay Street was closed due to flooding between West Street and Greenwich Street in Tribeca.
June 2019	Hail	New York	-	Hail size of 0.75 inches was reported in Rose Hill section of Manhattan.
August 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	-	A thunderstorm wind gust of 58 mph was reported at Battery Park.
August 2018	Flash Flood	New York	-	Flooding reported on FDR Drive with water up to car bottoms.
June 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	-	A large tree branch was reported down, blocking two west bound lanes at 360 West 34th Street.
May 2017	Flash Flood	New York	-	West Side Highway was closed between 20th and 30th Streets in Chelsea due to flooding.
May 2017	Flash Flood	New York	-	A vehicle was stuck in a flooded roadway on West 24th Street and West Side Highway in Chelsea.
July 2012	Hail	New York	-	Quarter size hail was reported covering the ground at West Broadway and Spring Street.
August 2011	Flood	New York	-	The FDR Drive was closed in both directions at Houston St. due to flooding.
August 2011	Flood	New York	-	The north tube of the Holland Tunnel in Manhattan was closed due to flooding at the New Jersey-bound entrance. Two cars also became stuck in flood waters on 10th Ave. in the West Village.
July 2009	Flash Flood	New York	-	Southbound FDR Drive was closed due to flooding at 14th St.
July 2009	Flash Flood	New York	-	Exit 5 (Houston St.) on the FDR Drive southbound was closed due to flooding.
July 2009	Flash Flood	New York	-	Six inches of standing water accumulated at the intersection of W. 46th St. and Broadway.
August 2008	Flash Flood	New York	-	The torrential rainfall caused a sewer to collapse producing a 6 ft deep sinkhole outside of FDNY ladder company 24 on W. 31st Street in Manhattan.
July 2007	Flash Flood	New York	-	Flooding on West Side Highway.
July 2003	Hail	New York	-	A trained spotter reported penny size hail in Lower Manhattan.
June 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	-	Television media reported that strong winds knocked over a 50 foot tree in Washington Heights.
April 2007	Flood	New York	-	no account filed
July 2006	Flash Flood	New York	-	no account filed
July 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	-	no account filed
July 2006	Flash Flood	New York	-	no account filed
August 2003	Flash Flood	New York	-	no account filed
June 2001	Flood	New York	-	no account filed
September 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	-	no account filed
May 1998	Hail	New York	-	no account filed
May 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	-	no account filed
May 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	New York	-	no account filed
July 1996	Flash Flood	New York	-	no account filed
October 1996	Flash Flood	New York	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in New York County

Maps showing this location

16 surveys

United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the middle of the area the National Park Service maps for this listing, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.

1898 USGS Staten Island quadrangle1:62500
1900 USGS Passaic quadrangle1:125000
1900 USGS Staten Island quadrangle1:62500 - 10 printings
1905 USGS Passaic quadrangle1:125000 - 4 printings
1942 USGS Passaic quadrangle1:125000
1944 USGS Newark quadrangle1:250000 - 5 printings
1947 USGS Jersey City quadrangle1:24000
1949 USGS Newark quadrangle1:250000 - 2 printings
1955 USGS Jersey City quadrangle1:24000 - 2 printings
1956 USGS Newark quadrangle1:250000 - 2 printings
1957 USGS Newark quadrangle1:250000
1960 USGS Newark quadrangle1:250000 - 3 printings
1964 USGS Newark quadrangle1:250000 - 2 printings
1967 USGS Jersey City quadrangle1:24000 - 3 printings
1984 USGS Newark quadrangle1:100000
1986 USGS Newark quadrangle1:100000

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall Subway Station (IRT)	under 500 feet	2005
Chambers Street Subway Station (Dual System BMT)	under 500 feet	2005
Former Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank	under 500 feet	1982
African Burying Ground	under 500 feet	1993
Municipal Building	under 500 feet	1972
Tweed Courthouse	under 500 feet	1974

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 72000888 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
New York County	All 601 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.