Mimi Levitt formed the Neighborhood Association to Preserve Fifth Avenue Houses in the 1970s to save a row of private homes from demolition. They were ultimately unsuccessful in saving the homes, but through the courts, the group won the right to choose the architect of the new building being constructed at 1001 Fifth Avenue. From there, she began advocating for the creation of a historic district. She describes the long effort to convince homeowners and businesses to support the designation of the Metropolitan Museum Historic District, and the process of hearings at the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission. She also speaks about the strategies the local neighborhood groups used to slow and prevent the demolition of buildings in the area.