The years 1965-1966 were crucial to the development of the preservation movement in America and the victories scored fifty years ago still inform preservation today. This was the era of the federal Historic Preservation Act, but it was also the time when local preservation victories established historic preservation as a vital force in cities and towns across the country. This talk will explore the establishment of the Landmarks Preservation Commission in New York City following the demolition of Pennsylvania Station, and place the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion in the context of the successful preservation of such other great buildings as Olana and the Gamble House.

Andrew S. Dolkart is a Professor of Historic Preservation at the Columbia University School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.  He has been active in preservation in New York for several decades, working with community groups, writing, and leading walking tours.  His research focuses on the architecture and development of New York City, with special emphasis on the layering of architecture and history in New York’s neighborhoods and on the city’s overlooked building types.  He is the author of three award-winning books: Morningside Heights: A History of Its Architecture and Development; Biography of a Tenement House in New York City: An Architectural History of 97 Orchard Street; and The Row House Reborn: Architecture and Neighborhoods in New York City, 1908-1929.  He recently co-curated an exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and is currently working on a book examining the architecture and development of garment lofts and New York’s Garment District.