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Oliver Allen papers on the historic preservation of Tribeca

Call Number

MS 3058

Date

1985-2002 (bulk 1985-1994), inclusive

Creator

Allen, Oliver E.

Extent

.63 Linear feet in 2 document boxes

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The Oliver Allen papers on the historic preservation of Tribeca document the efforts and achievements to approve this neighborhood in lower Manhattan as a designated historic district by New York City. Oliver Allen was the Vice Chair of the Committee for the Washington Market Historic District, which was affiliated with the Tribeca Community Association. These groups were primarily responsible for advocating Tribeca as a worthy historic preservation district and obtaining the designation from City Council.

Biographical / Historical

Oliver E. Allen (1922-2017) played a fundamental role in the designation of Tribeca as a recognized historic district by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the New York City Council. Professionally, he was a writer and editor for Life magazine and later an editor at Time-Life Books. He wrote over a dozen books and published well over one hundred articles. In 1989 he contributed to the book "The Texture of Tribeca" by Andrew Dolkart, which was used to promote the mission of the Tribeca Community Association. As a longtime resident of Tribeca he volunteered his time to historic preservation efforts in the area. He was the Vice Chair of the Committee for the Washington Market Historic District and one of the founders of Friends of Duane Park. He was a regular contributor to The Tribeca Trib, a publication covering Lower Manhattan, writing articles about the history of Tribeca. He resided at 42 Hudson Street, New York, in a loft overlooking Duane Park with his wife Deborah (d. 2014). Together they had four children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. An interview with Oliver Allen was conducted by The New York Preservation Archive Project in 2010 and can be found here: NYPAP Oliver Allen Oral History

Tribeca is an abbreviation for the "triangle below canal." Before adopting the name Tribeca in the 1970s, the area was known as Washington Square Market. This former name was chosen for the committee of which Oliver Allen was vice chair and it is found on the folders in this collection. Tribeca runs from Canal Street on the North, Broadway on the East, Vesey Street on the South, and West Street on the West. The area was split into four separate historic districts being: Tribeca North, East, South and West. Tribeca West, which covers about 17 blocks, was the first to be designated and approved as a historic district in 1991. The other three districts, North (about 10 blocks), East (about 10 blocks), and South (5 blocks), were designated as historic districts by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1992 and approved by City Council on April 1, 1993. The Tribeca South Extension was designated as a historic district in 2002, though that event is not covered in this collection. This Landmarks Preservation Commission map shows the Tribeca historic districts and full designation reports may be read.

Arrangement

The original order and titles of folders as they were received by N-YHS were retained for this collection. The arrangement is topical and chronological within like topics.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of Oliver Allen's papers during the period from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s that the Committee for the Washington Market Historic District and the Tribeca Community Association were advocating for the designation of Tribeca as a historic preservation district. The records consist of meeting notes, public hearing announcements, correspondence, photographs taken by Allen, Landmarks Preservation Commission memorandum, clippings, fliers, pamphlets, statements, task lists, Tribeca area maps, and other documents related to the topic of historic preservation in Tribeca. Important activists such as Carole De Saram, president of the Tribeca Community Association, and Hal Bromm, gallery owner and chair of The Committee for the Washington Market Historic District show up numerous times within these papers. The documents show interactions with many agencies including the Tribeca Community Association (TCA), the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), the Historic Districts Council (HDC), the City Planning Commission (CPC), and the New York City Council (NYCC).

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers.

Use Restrictions

This collection is owned by the New-York Historical Society. The copyright law of the United States governs the making of photocopies and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials. Unpublished materials created before January 1, 1978 cannot be quoted in publication without permission of the copyright holder. Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to 20 exposures of stable, unbound material per day.

Preferred Citation

The collection should be cited as: Oliver Allen papers on the historic preservation of Tribeca, MS 3058, The New-York Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift from Oliver Allen, 2015.

Collection processed by

Ariana Heinsdorf

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 16:15:34 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information

Processed by archival intern Ariana Heinsdorf in June 2018.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024