The South Street Seaport Museum’s collections consist of over 26,500 works of art and artifacts, and over 55,000 historic records, documenting the rise of New York as a port city, and its role in the development of the economy and business of the United States through the social and architectural landscapes.
In addition to those accessioned artifacts the Museum holds a maritime reference library and an archival collection of approximately 30,000 of ship plans, 18,000 books and vintage magazines, a reference photo archive, and historic documents and ephemera related to the architecture history and business of the district and downtown New York City, New York-based vessels and shipyards, ocean travel, and general maritime subjects.
