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The Landmarks of New York photograph collection

Call Number

PR 310

Date

1967-2011, inclusive

Creator

Extent

0.417 Linear feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

Photographs of landmarked buildings in New York City from an exhibition curated by Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel.

Biographical / Historical

'The Landmarks of New York' collection includes over 80 photographs of landmarked buildings in New York that were commissioned for an exhibition to mark the 40th anniversary of New York City Landmarks Preservation Act. The exhibition was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

New York City's Landmarks Preservation Act was created in April 1965 in response to the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for the construction of Madison Square Garden. This act established the New York City Preservation Commission, which is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and culturally significant buildings and sites by granting them landmark or historic district status, and regulating them once they are designated. This Commission is the largest municipal preservation agency in the nation. Since the Landmarks Preservation Act was established in 1965 more than 30,000 structures and environments throughout the five boroughs have been designated as landmarks and thus protected from destruction.

This exhibition, 'The Landmarks of New York', was curated by Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel has devoted her career to preserving New York City's cultural heritage. In 1966, she was appointed the first director of Cultural Affairs for New York City, and went on to become the longest serving Commissioner on the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission (1972 to 1987). She subsequently served as Chair of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Foundation (1987-1995) and since 1995, has been the Chair of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center.

The photographs in 'The Landmarks of New York' exhibition aim to portray the life and times of an American city from its origins through the colonial and early national periods to its emergence as one of the world largest metropolises. As the city grew, single family houses were replaced by apartment buildings and skyscrapers, and agriculture was replaced by commerce. All of these structures tell the story of New York's journey from a small colonized village to a world class city. The exhibition was created in conjunction with the publication of the book, 'The Landmarks of New York: An Illustrated Record of the City's Historic Buildings', by Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel.

'The Landmarks of New York' exhibition traveled to 82 countries under the sponsorship of the United States Department of State from 2006 to 2009 and returned home to New York for its final showing. It was exhibited at The New-York Historical Society from April 30 - July 12, 2009. The photographs in the exhibition were then donated to the New-York Historical Society by Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, the exhibition's curator.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of photographs of landmarked buildings from an exhibition at N-YHS that was curated by Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel. The exhibition featured photographs of a diverse range of landmarked buildings including civic buildings, factories, office towers, bridges, universities, museums, parks, and religious buildings. The photographs were taken between 1967 and 2011; most are exterior shots, although there are also a few landmarked interiors. Collectively, they chronicle the city's architecture from the seventeenth century (the 1652 Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House) to the twentieth century (for example, the Ford Foundation Building begun in 1963). Each of the photographs in 'The Landmarks of New York' was accompanied by historic descriptive text about the landmark and its significance to the cultural heritage of New York. Some notable examples of landmarks in the collection include photographs of Bowne House (1661) in Queens, and in Manhattan, City Hall (1803-12), Chrysler Building (1928-30), Empire State Building (1930-31), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Interior (1956-59), One Chase Manhattan Plaza (1957) and Ford Foundation Building (1963-1967).

Individual buildings are listed in the box and folder list below. Dates listed in the finding aid were taken from the exhibition captions.

Access Restrictions

Available by advance appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact the Print Room Librarian at printroom@nyhistory.org. Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.)

Use Restrictions

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions
The New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194
rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org
212-485-9228

Permission to reproduce or quote text from this collection in a publication must be requested from and granted in writing by the Library Director, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194. 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.

Provenance

Gift of Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, 2009.

Collection processed by

Megan Dolan

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:48:32 -0400.
Language: Description is in English

Repository

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