The Battle for Historic Districts: Brooklyn Heights and Beyond
The Battle for Historic Districts: Brooklyn Heights and Beyond
The Battle for Historic Districts: Brooklyn Heights and Beyond
February 22, 2011
6:30 – 8:30pm
Join the Historic Districts Council and the New York Preservation Archive Project for a celebration of Martin Schneider’s new book on the struggle to protect Brooklyn Heights and a panel discussion on the future of historic districts.
Forty-six years after Brooklyn Heights was designated as New York City’s first historic district, Schneider’s new book Battling for Brooklyn Heights and documentary “Brooklyn Is My Neighborhood/The Story of New York’s First Historic District” revisit the epic grassroots struggle with a compelling eye-witness account. Although today we have more than 100 historic districts in the city, preservationists and passionate citizens inevitably face the same hurdles in attempting to protect their neighborhoods: labyrinthine urban politics, growing real estate pressures, and the need for developing low- and middle-income housing.
After a short screening of Schneider’s documentary our panel of experts will explore today’s challenges to historic districts and discuss a plan for their future. What have we achieved in the past forty-six years? Is New York City truly in danger of being over-designated? What must change to ensure the future of our historic districts in a city that must accommodate its inevitable growth? Scheduled panelists include Otis Pratt Pearsall, instrumental in the designation of Brooklyn Heights; Kate Wood, executive director of Landmark West!; Jeffrey Kroessler, one of the city’s most vehement preservation activists; and other key figures in preservation, planning and development.
This event will take place at:
World Monuments Fund
Empire State Building
350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2412
New York, NY 10118
Admission is $5 (payable by PayPal or at the door) and free for Friends of NYPAP, Friends of HDC and students.
Because of security checkpoints at the Empire State Building, space is limited and reservations are required; only those that RSVP will be able to attend.