Historic Districts Council Honors Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel as Landmarks Lion
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
The Historic Districts Council, a citywide organization dedicated to preserving New York’s historic neighborhoods, will present its Annual Landmarks Lion Award to Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel. Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel is a longtime preservation leader and champion of the arts, serving as the first Director of Cultural Affairs for New York City and as the longest-term Landmarks Commissioner in the city’s history, spanning four mayoral administrations. She was the Chair of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Foundation, a founding Director of the High Line and since 1995, has served as the Chair of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center.
Barbaralee created the “Historic District Street Sign” program over 20 years ago to help heighten awareness of New York City’s historic districts and her Cultural Medallion program brings recognition of otherwise unnoticed landmarks to both New Yorker and visitors. Her exhibit, “The Landmarks of New York” has toured 82 countries on five continents, bringing an awareness and appreciation of NYC’s remarkable built environment to audiences around the world. Barbaralee’s newest book, her 20th, “Landmarks of New York V”, will be published this fall and describes in pictures and text each of New York City’s 1,287 individually-designated landmarks, and in maps and description each of the 102 designated historic districts. Its publication will be accompanied by a new 11-city museum exhibition on New York City’s historic architecture that she curated and that will toured throughout New York State.
The award ceremony and benefit dinner will take place on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 at the landmark-designated Four Seasons Restaurant, located at 99 East 52nd Street between Park and Lexington, Manhattan.