Servant of Beauty: A Conversation About Albert Bard

Please join us for a conversation between Anthony Wood, author of Servant of Beauty, and Peg Breen, to discuss the life and times of the great civic advocate and “grandfather” of New York’s Landmarks Law, Albert Bard.

His life delivers a lesson in civic engagement and personal perseverance, also notable for a rich and complex story of both public and private passions.

Bard (1866-1963) fought for cities to have the right to protect their beauty, propelling him into a David versus Goliath combat with Robert Moses and paving the way, after four decades, for New York City's Landmarks Law (1965). This transformative piece of legislation today safeguards more than 37,000 buildings across the city’s historic neighborhoods.