Linda Gillies was director of the Astor Foundation from 1974 until its closure in 1997. She speaks about Brooke Astor’s philanthropic interests and the Foundation’s supported projects including South Street Seaport, the Jefferson Market Garden, and the Bronx Zoo. Brooke Astor had a strong interest in churches and religious buildings and provided essential funding through the Foundation to the effort to save St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church and the Eldridge Street Synagogue. The Foundation also helped to fund the Central Park Conservancy, which changed the way Central Park was managed. From 1988-2007 she also served on the board of the Preservation League of New York State.