Servant of Beauty by Anthony C. Wood
Servant of Beauty
Landmarks, Secret Love, and the
Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero
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Anthony C. Wood Author |
Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero is the true story of the interplay between the two all-consuming passions of this unheralded civic champion: his love of beauty in the public realm that would forever change New York City, and his love for a younger man that would forever change Bard.
A spellbinding biography of Albert Bard, one of New York City’s greatest civic activists, laced with a fascinating twist of espionage. While Bard was helping to preserve the city — even fighting against the ‘power broker’ himself Robert Moses — he was privately dealing with an international scandal. Anthony Wood excavates a most extraordinary story from the shadows of history, not only rescuing a forgotten figure of American culture but discovering new and even provocative new details about his life. Servant of Beauty provides a captivating snapshot of public action and private lives in the mid 20th century.
— Greg Young, Writer, Co-creator and Host of the Bowery Boys Podcast
Anthony C. Wood not only provides a thorough history of pioneering preservationist Albert Bard whose advocacy ultimately created the New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, but he uncovers the secret story of a gay man whose life had to be hidden from all of his colleagues. Wood adds an important layer to our understanding of the character of early preservation activists by making tangible the previously invisible life of a prominent civic leader.
— Andrew S. Dolkart, Co-Founder, NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project
Albert Bard Resources
“A Dog With a Bone:” New Wood Book Reveals Bard’s Secret Passion
By Adrian Untermyer, Archive Project Board Member “Bard had the tenacity of a dog with a bone,” concludes Wood. Ugliness…
Stories from Cities Across the Nation: Charleston, South Carolina
Introducing the Archive Project’s New Series PRESERVATION ORIGINS:Stories from Cities Across the Nation This new series looks at the story…
Preservation, Pestilence, and Uncertain Times
By Anthony C. Wood, Archive Project Founder & Chair In times of great upheaval, solace can come from those things…
Preservation Battle Book Revived for its Unique “Vieux”
“We all know that eternal vigilance is the price we must all pay for democracy. We have also learned that…
Preservation in Quotes: Time to Revive the Athenian Oath?
Deep in Albert Bard’s papers, one can still find his annotated copy of the August 1, 1913 Report of the…
Preservation History in Quotes
“The whole thing is being railroaded through in an outrageous manner. Information is withheld and inquiries are obstructed. Even hearings…
Chairman’s Column Celebrating Our Own: Finding Ways to Honor the Work of Historic Preservationists
Monuments matter. Clearly that is one lesson to be gleaned from the ongoing public debate about the appropriateness of certain…
Bard Birthday Breakfast Benefit – 2018
2018 Bard Birthday Breakfast Program: The Archive Project celebrates the birth of legendary preservationist Albert Bard each year with a breakfast…
The Year of the Bard!
Do not let the absence of a Hallmark greeting card in your mailbox or the failure of the U.S. Postal…
Bard Birthday Breakfast Benefit 2004
The first annual Bard Birthday Breakfast Benefit kicked off the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of New York City’s Landmarks Law. …
