Construction Administration Speaker Series: Debunking the Myth of Landmarks: A Primer on Preservation in New York City
Even before New York City’s landmarks law was passed in 1965, there existed a tension between those advocating to preserve the city’s past and those advocating to build for its future, whether it was civic outrage incurred by Trinity Vestry’s proposal to demolish St. John’s Chapel in the early 1900s or Penn Central’s proposal to replace Pennsylvania Station in the early 1960s.
This seminar will explore the phenomenon of Historic Preservation in the United States, from its origins as a grassroots movement to its codification in a series of local, state, and federal laws to an expanded interpretation of what constitutes significance.
Focusing on New York City’s landmarks law, this seminar will offer insight into its pioneering legislation and later affirmation by the US Supreme Court, while also exploring other topics that include: What makes a landmark? How are they regulated? What does it mean to be designated?
“Debunking the Myth of Landmarks: A Primer on Preservation in New York City” will set the record straight on what it means to own and maintain a landmark in New York City, while also detailing the many public and private benefits derived from Historic Preservation.
About the Presenter
Presenter Gregory Dietrich is a graduate of Columbia University's Historic Preservation and Real Estate Development programs. He has been working in the field of Historic Preservation for over seventeen years. Having worked in both the public and private sectors, he served as the Acting Director of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission’s Historic Preservation Grant Program between 1999 and 2000 before joining Cultural Resource Consulting Group (CRCG) in 2002, where he managed the New York office between 2004 and 2009. At CRCG, Dietrich was a project manager and principal investigator on a myriad of cultural resource studies, while also serving as the company’s Director of Historic Preservation. In 2009 he established Gregory Dietrich Preservation Consulting, where his work has entailed historic architectural and landscape studies, designation reports, historic tax credit applications, and grant writing. In addition to consulting, he has served as an adjunct instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) since 2008, while also serving as a guest lecturer, panelist, and tour guide at a range of educational, cultural, and civic institutions both here and abroad.
RSVP by: Thursday, February 9, 2016
For questions, please contact Deborah Sachare: ds2784 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (ds2784[at]columbia[dot]edu).