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Harry Schwartz Papers

Call Number

MS 3011

Date

1958-2014, inclusive

Creator

Schwartz, Harry

Extent

2 Linear feet (2 record center boxes, 1 volume, 1 oversize folder)

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

This collection contains materials related to the professional career of urban planner Harry Schwartz, including projects in and outside of New York City, addressing housing issues, traffic, the environment, and the elderly. Also included are teaching materials and syllabi from graduate courses Schwartz taught on urban planning, and materials related to his involvement in civic activities promoting economic equality and historic preservation.

Biographical Note

Harry Schwartz was born in March of 1935 in Brooklyn, New York. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University in 1956, a Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania in 1960, and attended the University of Rome on a Fulbright Fellowship between 1963 and 1964.

Schwartz began his career working on urban poverty, housing and public services for municipal and private agencies, including the Boston Redevelopment Authority (1962-1963), New York City's Department of City Planning (1965-1965) and the New York City Housing Department (1965-1967).

For the next 15 years, from 1968 to 1983, Schwartz was a partner in Abeles, Schwartz and Associates, a planning consultancy firm that worked on a broad range of planning and development projects and studies in urban settings. Clients included community development organizations in New York City, Buffalo, Yonkers, Atlantic City, Pittsburgh, and other cities; private firms; and government agencies. Among the many services the firm provided were strategic planning, market and real estate studies, economic feasibility evaluations, zoning reviews and environmental impact assessments, mediation, and assistance with financing.

In 1984, Schwartz founded the Garment Industry Development Corporation, which he describes as the nation's first economic development corporation dedicated to a specific industry. The company provided worker training and education; business assistance aimed at helping firms obtain capital, enhance productivity and introduce new technology; and real-estate assistance to prevent factory space from being converted into residences and to help firms obtain mortgages and government assistance.

In 1988, Schwartz became an independent consultant on economic development, housing, social and health services, and neighborhood planning. In this capacity, he worked with multiple institutions within and outside New York City including the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, the United States Department of Justice, the Harlem Urban Development Corporation; multiple institutions within St. Louis, Missouri; and the CUNY Institute for Urban Systems, among others.

Throughout his career, Schwartz focused on programs to alleviate poverty and narrow economic inequities, promote economic development, build affordable housing, provide relief efforts for natural disasters, protect environmental resources and provide services for elderly residents of city neighborhoods.

In addition to his consultant activities, Schwartz taught urban planning at various institutions, including Hunter College-CUNY, Washington University in St. Louis, and Columbia University. He was also heavily involved in civic activities, especially within New York City. He served on the Board of Directors for Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center and the House for Elder Artists, and has also been involved with the Waterfront Committee for the Parks Council, the Morningside Heights Historic District Committee, and the Friends of St. John the Divine.

Arrangement Note

This collection is arranged into three series:Series I: Professional Practice in Urban PlanningSeries II: Urban Planning Course MaterialsSeries III: Civic Activities

Scope and Contents Note

The Harry Schwartz Papers contains materials relating to Schwartz's professional career as an urban planner and educator, and his civic activism for economic equality and historic preservation in New York. Materials include reports, surveys, and impact studies. Also included are several of Schwartz's publications.

Series I consists of documentation of Schwartz's work as an urban planner, and includes projects relating to the elderly, the environment, civil rights, transportation, and urban redevelopment in and outside of New York.

Series II is made up of teaching materials, and includes syllabi, assignments, and student projects from urban planning courses Schwartz taught at Hunter College in New York City, and Washington University in St. Louis.

Series III includes materials relating to Schwartz's civic activities to promote economic equality and historic preservation in New York City through his involvement with the Friends of St. John the Divine, Morningside Heights Historic District Committee, and the Planners for Equal Opportunity, among others.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Portions of the collection that have been microfilmed will be brought to the researcher in that format and can be made available by Interlibrary loan.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

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. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation Note

This collection should be cited as the Harry Schwartz Papers, MS 3011, New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Provenance

Gift of Harry Schwartz, 2015

Collection processed by

Jennifer Gargiulo

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:50:46 -0400.
Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Repository

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