Is Preservation Elitist?

While many of New York’s designated historic districts are known for their grand architecture (such as Brooklyn Heights and the Upper East Side), an increasing number of others—including Tin Pan Alley, Flushing, Weeksville and Chinatown—are famed for their distinctive cultural character. But how exactly do you preserve a “culturally distinctive” place? In some cases is formal preservation actually a hindrance to saving what a community loves best about its neighborhood? What are the other protective strategies to ensure such places retain tradition, culture and even its population? Join a panel of community activists, preservationists and architects as they discuss the challenges of preserving these unique neighborhoods, whose greatest asset lies in the histories they contain, rather than the quality of their buildings. This program delves into the themes of our exhibition Saving Place: 50 Years of New York City Landmarks.

Reception to follow!

Tia Powell Harris, Weeksville President & Executive Director

Nikolai Fedak, YIMBY Founder

Claudette Brady, Bedforf-Stuvesant and one of the essayists for Saving Place book

Kerri Culhane, Two Bridges’ Associate Director

Laurie Beckelman (moderator), Founding Partner of Beckelman+Capalino