City Council Confirms Diana Chapin as New Landmarks Commissioner
From the Queens Chronicle
Landmarks Commission Appoints Queens Woman
by Jennifer Manley, Assistant Editor
Diana Chapin, a 38-year resident of Jackson Heights and executive director of the Queens Library Foundation, is the newest member of the City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The 65-year-old Michigan native has lived in the historic district of Jackson Heights since 1969, long before it was designated as such. She is joining the commission just in time to weigh in on whether another neighborhood — Sunnyside Gardens — should be designated a historic district as well.
Chapin, who has friends “on both sides of the issue,” said the neighborhood has “wonderful historic character,” but looks forward to judging the merit of the criticisms. “I go into it thinking it’s a beautiful area with very fine characteristics and I want to hear the concerns,” she said.
Chapin may focus more attention on the outer boroughs from a commission occasionally chided for being Manhattan-centric. “I hope that I will bring an interest in the boroughs, which obviously as someone coming from Queens, I think people look for me to do,” she said.
While she has a doctorate in Medieval Literature, Chapin has spent the better part of her career working for the city, including 16 years starting in 1978 with the Parks Department. Chapin helped found the department’s Historic Houses Trust, which oversees the preservation of 22 city properties, including four in Queens. She was Queens Borough Parks commissioner before leaving the department to serve stints in both the Departments of Buildings and Environmental Protection.
She was surprised but pleased at the appointment to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. “This is the city where everything is happening. This is the greatest city in the world … to be able to protect some of its land for the future is a great honor and privilege,” she said. Chapin was appointed to the 11-member commission by Mayor Bloomberg and confirmed by a City Council vote last Wednesday.
©Queens Chronicle 2007