Carl Feiss

Sometimes listed as Carl L. Feiss.

Biography

Carl Feiss had always considered himself a major proponent of cities. His ingenious methods for revitalizing cities changed the prevailing ideas behind urban planning from the perspectives of preservation, architecture and education. Furthermore he created the idea that historic preservation could be used as a tool for restoring cities.

Carl Feiss was born in Cleveland, Ohio and at early age had an affinity for the arts. His father was a clothing manufacturer in addition to being a founding member of the Cleveland Art Museum1. Carl Feiss received a degree in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. For three years after, he taught at the prestigious Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan with Eliel Saarinen. His second degree was in urban planning, one of the first degrees earned in this field of study, and was from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology2. In 1938, he became the Director of the Housing and Planning Division at the School Architecture at Columbia University.

Although he was an advocate for public housing, he often found himself at odds with the design plans. He fought Robert Moses' "grandiose plans" that hemorrhaged government funds and destroyed historic properties by advocating for a "low-density, low-cost development of vacant land3."In 1941, Carl Feiss moved to Denver where he served on the City Planning Commission. In addition, he created the Urban Planning department at the University of Denver. He was progressive in his approach to urban planning and its relationship to human psychology by creating new ways to promote community development4.

In 1950, he was appointed chief planner of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. He served as the head of the Preservation Committee, Planning Committee, and the Education Committee for the American Institute of Architects5. He left Washington, D.C. in 1955, and spearheaded the campaign to pass the Federal Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which led to the development of the National Register of Historic Places6. Furthermore he helped with historic restorations of cities including Charleston, Savannah, Annapolis, and Alexandria7. Carl Feiss passed away on October 27, 1997. He was 90 years old.

Oral History

Offices Held

• President of the Denver Art Museum
• City Planning Director, Denver, 1941-1944
• Technical Advisor, Advisory Committee on Housing Policies and Programs, 1953
• Director of Housing and Planning, Columbia University School of Architecture, 1938
• Director of the undergraduate school of Architecture and Planning, University of Denver
• Director of the undergraduate school of Building Industry and Real Estate, University of Denver
• President of the American Planning and Civic Association
• Chief of Planning and Engineering of the Urban Renewal Administration

Involvement in Preservation Campaigns and Related Activities

Carl Feiss played a seminal role in historic preservation on both on the national and local level. In many ways he was ahead of the times in terms of finding creative ways to merge historic preservation with urban planning and adaptive reuse. Although he participated in urban renewal projects taking shape in Washington, D.C. and New York City, he always argued for building on vacant lots, as opposed to massive slum clearance of historic neighborhoods8.

In New York City, Carl Feiss' contributions to preservation were concentrated in education and politics. Feiss was deeply involved in planning and zoning issues. He fought against many of Robert Moses' urban renewal and highway system plans that destroyed historic neighborhoods and displaced low income families and community development patterns in lower Manhattan9.

In 1938, he was appointed the Director of Housing and Planning at Columbia University and was involved in city planning in New York City.

In 1941, architect and preservationist Ely Jacques Kahn created a committee to preserve the remaining structures of notable architectural and historic significance in New York City10. This committee was an off-branch of the Municipal Art Society during the time when the fate of Castle Clinton was tenuous. The committee formulated a list of important buildings worthy of protection. The list would eventually serve as a blueprint for the first designated New York City Landmarks. Kahn persuaded both Carl Feiss and Talbot Hamlin (another Columbia professor) to assist in creating this list.

It was Carl Feiss idea to adaptively reuse Castle Clinton as a museum for "marine commerce and harbor relics pertaining to the Port of New York11."

Archives, Personal files, and Ephemura

• 1. Interview with Carl Feiss, July 20, 1981.
• 2. Thomas, Robert. "Carl Feiss, a Pioneer of Urban Preservation, Dies at 90." New York Times October 27, 1997.
• 3. Ibid.
• 4. McLaughlin, Kathleen. "Mental Health and City Linked." New York Times.
• 5. Interview with Carl Feiss July 20, 1981.
• 6. Huxtable, Ada Louise. "Program to Save Historic Sites Urged in Report to White House." New York Times January 30, 1966.
• 7. Interview with Carl Feiss, July 20, 1981.
• 8. Interview with Carl Feiss, July 20, 1981.
• 9. Gilmartin, Gregory F. Shaping the City: New York and the Municipal Art Society. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 1995.
• 10. Carl Feiss. Letter to the editor. New York Times April 27, 1958.
• 11. Wood, Anthony C. Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City's Landmarks. Routledge: New York, 2008.