HDC's 15th Annual Preservation Conference Just Around the Corner
It’s that time of year again! HDC is proud to announce its 15th Annual Preservation Conference, Communities & Cornices. In anticipation of the upcoming municipal elections in November, the conference will focus on the intersection of preservation and civic engagement. From developing relationships with elected officials to understanding and utilizing important legislation and regulations, this year’s events will present a number of tools that can be used to launch successful grassroots campaigns. And since the best learning tool is direct experience, we have invited the Mayoral candidates to separately address the conference and present their preservation platforms throughout the day.
This year’s conference will be preceded by a series of Pre-Conference Lectures, as well as an Opening Night Reception. The Sunday following the Conference will feature a series of walking tours of historic areas throughout New York City. Click here to register online.
February 25: Pre-Conference Lecture:
“Civic Pride: New York City’s Government Centers, Past and Present”
This lecture will examine several of New York’s government centers, both before and after the consolidation of all five boroughs into the modern day city. Panelists will focus on civic centers in three boroughs: Staten Island’s Historic Richmond Town and St. George, both at one time the center of government for Richmond County; downtown Brooklyn, with its Borough Hall, courthouses and skyscraper district; and Manhattan’s City Hall area and its great variety of municipal buildings.
Panelists include historian and past Executive Director of the Staten Island Historical Society Barnett Shepherd; Alex Herrera, director of technical services at The New York Landmarks Conservancy; and architectural historian Matthew A. Postal.
Join us Wednesday, February 25th, 6:00pm, at the New York New Church, 114 East 35th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues. This program is free to the public. For reservations, please call (212) 614-9107 or email [email protected].
March 3: Pre-Conference Panel:
“Can Preservation be Injected into NYC Mainstream Political Debate? Insights from Experts Outside the Field”
As we enter another Mayoral Election season, preservationists grapple with the perpetual challenge of trying to focus broader public attention on preservation’s agenda. How have other social causes raised their issues to this level of attention? Can preservation do it? What might it take? Hear the opinions and learn from the experiences of experts who have tackled such issues in their fields of interest.
Among those joining Moderator preservation activist, author, and historian Anthony C. Wood are Bob Hayes, formerly of the Coalition for the Homeless and the Medicare Rights Center, now senior vice president, health quality, Universal American Corporation; and well-known environmentalist Eric Goldstein, New York Urban Program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council
Join us Tuesday, March 3rd, 6:00pm, in the sanctuary of the Middle Collegiate Church, Second Avenue between East 6th and East 7th Streets. This program is free to the public. For reservations, please call (212) 614-9107 or email [email protected].
March 6: Opening Night Reception
For this year’s Opening Night Reception HDC welcomes guests to the Puffin Room, an independent art gallery located within the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. In addition to refreshments and good preservation-minded conversation, this festive kick-off event will also feature presentations on proposed historic districts and preservation campaigns across the city. Come meet fellow neighborhood advocates and learn about their preservation efforts.
Friday, March 6, 6:00pm, at The Puffin Room, 435 Broome Street between Broadway and Crosby Street. Tickets for this event are $35/person, $30 for Friends of HDC, seniors and students. Reservations required. Please call (212) 614-9107 or visit our website.
March 7: “Communities & Cornices” Conference Panels
This year’s Conference Panels will bring together a distinguished group of preservationists, planners, artists, architects, educators and developers from New York City’s five boroughs and beyond will to present their views in a series of panel discussions: “Partnerships and Preservation: Working with Elected Officials,” “Preservation Tools: The Importance of Legislation and Regulation” and a keynote address delivered by Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union, entitled “A History of Civic Engagement in New York.”
Saturday, March 8, 8:30am-6:15pm, at the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue at East 103rd Street. Full day admission is $25/person, $15/person for Friends of HDC and seniors. Entrance fee will be waved for students will valid university ID. For reservations, please call (212) 614-9107 or visit our website.
March 8: Walking Tours
The final day of HDC’s Preservation Conference features six walking tours of neighborhoods throughout New York City, including:
v Brooklyn Heights: The Designation Heard ‘Round the Nation
v Staten Island’s First Civic Center: Historic Richmond Town
v Heart of the Metropolis: Manhattan’s Civic Center
v Bohemian Melting Pot: The South Village
v Beaux Arts Bronx: The Hall Of Fame For Great Americans at Bronx Community College
v Urban Village in the Big City: Queens’ Kew Gardens
Sunday, March 8. Space if limited, so reserve early. Meeting times and locations will be provided upon registration. To register via PayPal, please visit our website or call (212) 614-9107. You may also access a mail-in registration form here.