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Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps


Sanborn® Print MapsSanborn Fire Insurance Map

Originally prepared for the exclusive use of fire insurance companies and underwriters, Sanborn® Maps give detailed depictions of city buildings. They include such information as building dimensions, construction details, and significant building features.

Yale holds Sanborn® Maps for all of Connecticut.

New Haven Sanborn Index Maps for Google Earth

The Map Collection is always looking for new ways to allow our patrons to access our holdings. One new means of access we are very interested in is Google Earth. As an experiment, we have created digital index maps for each of the Sanborn® Map Sets that we hold for New Haven, CT.

These digital index files are written in KML (Keyhole Markup Language), the markup language that allows users to share geographic information through Google Earth in much the same way HTML allows information to be shared through web browsers. Within each of these KML documents (packaged as KMZ files), we have encoded information about each of the corresponding map sheets. Using the ExpressView Plugin, you can also access digital versions of the Sanborn® Map Sheets corresponding to each of the map "footprints" contained in the index files.

To access the New Haven Sanborn® KML files, do the following:

  1. Install Google Earth.
  2. Install the LizardTech ExpressView Plugin for Netscape®, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari Web browsers.
  3. Click on one of the links below to open the corresponding Sanborn Digital Index File:
  4. Zoom into an area, or search for a New Haven address that you are interested in.
  5. Click on the Label Point for the map footprint that overlaps your area of interest to open the description.
  6. Click on the HTML link to the scanned image to open it in your web browser.
  7. Have Fun!

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This file last modified 10/09/08 Thursday, October 9, 2008 2:31 PM
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Stacey Maples
Yale University Library Judaica Collection