New York State Department of Audit and Control Land Acquisition Case Files

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Overview of the Records

Repository
New York State Archives
222 Madison Avenue
Albany, NY 12230
Summary
This series contains case files related to the state's acquisition of real property, either by purchase, appropriation, or court judgment. Files include sale contracts, final deed or court award, title and lien histories, correspondence, maps, etc. Files document acquisition of lands for purposes such as state facilities, Forest Preserve, Barge Canal, state highways, flood control, railroad grade crossing elimination, Thruway, Empire State Plaza, etc.
Title
Land acquisition case files
Quantity
16 cubic feet; 16 paige boxes, within each box are microfilm reels (~1800 reels in total)
Bulk Dates
Series Number
B2883
Creator
Arrangement

Chronological

Administrative History

These records were compiled by the New York State Department of Audit and Control pursuant to State Finance Law, Section 103, which requires that "all papers relating to the duties of the comptroller, and all deeds to the state, abstracts of title, and state contracts . . . shall be deposited in the office of the Comptroller." The section is part of the recodified State Finance Law of 1940 (Chapter 593), still in effect as amended. The requirement that deeds, abstracts of title, and state contracts be maintained by the comptroller derives from the earlier State Finance Law of 1909 (Chapter 58), originally enacted in 1897 (Chapter 413). Inspection of the records indicates that they began to be compiled after enactment of the 1897 statute. The Department of Audit and Control's rules and regulations (2 NYCRR Part 13.2, see Appendix B) specify recording procedures and documents that are to be included in real property acquisition files forwarded to the state comptroller for final approval.

Scope and Content Note

These records document land acquisitions by the state through purchase, appropriation or court judgment for highway construction (e.g., New York State Thruway, Long Island Expressway, and other primary and secondary state highways); railroad grade crossing elimination; the Barge Canal; Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves; flood control; state buildings; park lands; state institutions; stream easements; the Empire State Plaza, etc. Agencies with jurisdiction over such acquisitions include the Department of Transportation (and its predecessor agency, the Department of Public Works); the New York State Thruway (including the Canal Corporation and its predecessors); the Power Authority; Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation; the Department of Environmental Conservation (and its predecessor agency, the Conservation Department); and the Office of General Services (and its predecessor entities, the Board of Commissioners of the Land Office and Division of the Land Office).

A0464Series A0464, Department of State Original Deeds and Title Papers

12945Series 12945, Department of State Miscellaneous Deeds and Title Papers

A0244Series A0244, State Engineer and Surveyor, Land Appraisal, Survey, and Transaction Records

Acquisition Information

This series was transferred under RDA 19268.

Custodial History

This series was transferred to the New York State Archives by the Office of General Services's Bureau of Land management in May 2019. The records were formerly managed by the Land Claims section of the Division of Audits and Accounts of the Department of Audit and Control.

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.

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