October 14, 2007
Article from the Fall 2007 Newsletter

NYPAP is pleased to announce the much-anticipated release of Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City’s Landmarks by Anthony C. Wood. Preserving New York (a project of the New York Preservation Archive Project) is the story of the people and places, the buildings and battles, and the policies and politics that, after decades of tragic loses, led New York City to create a legal mechanism to protect the city’s cherished landmarks. The book is the previously untold story of the origins of New York City’s nationally acclaimed landmarks law.

New York’s desire to protect its historic and architectural treasures existed long before the threat to Pennsylvania Station. The book spans the years 1913 to 1965, recounting the decades of struggle behind the Landmarks Law, its intellectual origins, the men and women who fought for it, the forces that shaped it, and the buildings lost and saved on the way to the law’s ultimate passage. Little recognized civic leaders such as Albert S. Bard and lost buildings, including the Brokaw Mansions, are chronicled in a meticulously researched and engaging narrative that highlights one of the most important chapters in the preservation history of New York City.

The 352-page book is illustrated with over 100 black and white historic photographs and includes a foreword by Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.