October 14, 2008
Article from the Fall 2008 Newsletter

For the second consecutive year, the New York Preservation Archive Project will partner with Pratt Institute’s graduate program in historic preservation to gather oral histories from key players in the preservation movement. This ongoing project will aid in documenting important narratives that have shaped advocacy efforts over the years. Thus far, NYPAP has six interviewees who have already committed to this year’s project, which will focus on preservation in the 1970s. Those individuals and their roles in that period are: Laurie Beckelman, former deputy director of the Municipal Art Society; Thom Bess, an integral advocate in getting the Longwood Historic District in the Bronx designated; Bronson Binger, former Assistant Commissioner for Capital Projects at the NYC Parks Department; Michael Gruen, former counsel for the NYC Landmarks Conservancy and an important figure in the early days of the Historic Districts Council; Susan Jones, former executive director of the New York Landmarks Conservancy; and Lenore Norman, former executive director of the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.