Capitol Fire

The New York State Capitol and the Great Fire of 1911

Many more images from the 1911 fire can be found in the book The New York State Capitol and the Great Fire of 1911 (Arcadia Press, 2011).

Vicki Weiss and Paul Mercer of the New York State Library's Manuscripts and Special Collections co-authored this book to commemorate the centennial of the Capitol fire. This work combines dramatic photographs from Special Collections with eyewitness accounts of the 1911 fire, which severely damaged the western portion of the capitol. Virtually the entire collection of the State Library, as well as significant holdings of the New York State Museum, were destroyed in the blaze, which struck as the Education Department was mere months away from moving across the street to the State Education Building, then under construction.

The new book tells not only the story of the fire and its aftermath, but also recounts the history of the building of the capitol, as well as the pre- and post-fire history of the Library. Much of the story is told in the words of Joseph Gavit, who retired in 1946 after a 50-year career in the State Library.

All royalties from book sales go to the Friends of the New York State Library.