Sanborn Map Abbreviations

Common Abbreviations On Sanborn Fire Maps

The map index should have a list of  abbreviations found within a particular volume, but here is an overview of commonly used abbreviations, for when that cannot be located

For my own reference:

•  VAC S.= vacancy [Not Vacuum Sales]
•  DG - Dry Goods [not druggist]

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Abbreviations

[From the Library of Congress]

Fire insurance maps often relied on abbreviations to convey the type of activity that took place in a structure, since that information had some bearing on the likelihood of fires. The most common abbreviations are as follows: "D" or "Dwg" for a dwelling, "F" for a flat or apartment, "S" for a store, "Sal" for a saloon. Other abbreviations added more information about a structure: numerals were used to indicate the number of stories in a building, and the letter "B" indicated the presence of a basement. These could be combined, so that "2B" for instance, indicates that a building has two stories and a basement. Multiple symbols for a single structure could reflect the use or nature of different parts of a building; hence a two-story building with a basement might be marked "2B" for the main portion of the structure while an addition on the front had the number "1" by itself to indicate a single story.

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