‘Landmarks of New York’ opens
By Saadia Khalid

ISLAMABAD: An exhibition of photographs titled ‘Landmarks of New York’ featuring the city’s civic buildings, office towers, universities, museum parks and worship houses will open here at Hunerkada today (Wednesday).

On display will be 81 photographs, documenting some of the significant and unusual property of New York (NY) City to celebrate the NY City’s Landmarks Law, which for 40 years has preserved properties and objects that have special historic, cultural, or aesthetic value.

“The law was passed when a historical train station was demolished in 1963 at Penn and rebuilt into a modern station. This left the New Yorkers disappointed and they started a campaign to preserve the buildings of historical and cultural value,” said Benjamin Canavan, an official of the political section of the US Embassy.

Created by the Historic Landmarks Preservation Centre to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the passage of Landmarks Law, the exhibition highlights New Yorkers interest in preserving their heritage and chronicles the impact of city’s architecture on the rest of the nation. Each photo is accompanied by a description of the significance of the landmark and its importance to the life and social fabric of the city.

The works by some of the world’s best photographers show farms and pubs from 18th century, factories, banks and offices from 19th century and dwelling houses of the poorest to the richest people during three centuries.

A wonderful picture among all was that of a church situated right behind the twin towers of World Trade Centre (WTC). After the WTC collapse when most of the buildings in the vicinity were harmed this church remained intact with all its grace. The images show that although many of the structures retain their architectural integrity, others have been altered, or even neglected.

The photographs have been selected from over 1,100 landmarks designated in all the five boroughs from 1965 through early 2005.The dates of construction of these buildings range from 1640 to 1967.

“These images provide evidence of some of our realised ambitions and touch upon every aspect of metropolitan life of NY City from a small merchant city to a modern metropolis, shed light on the evolution of our cultural city, and encompass the dreams and illusions of one generation passed on for the enrichment of their successors,” said Canavan.

He said NY City had a wide variety of architectonic styles and since 1965 when the law was issued it had been one of the leading US cities caring for historic monuments.

The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the US Embassy in Skopje have sponsored the exhibition, which is being brought to over 50 countries.