Juliet Bartlett

Sometimes listed as Juliet M. Bartlett.

Biography

Juliet Bartlett was born in 1898. She joined the Women's City Club of New York in 1933 and was elected club president first in 1940 and later in 1954. In 1941, during Bartlett's first term, First Lady and former WCC member Eleanor Roosevelt delivered the club's 25th anniversary address.

Bartlett was tirelessly devoted to New York City. Throughout her life she served on multiple Mayor's committees ranging from courts to juvenile delinquency to zoning. The Women's City Club of New York held her as an "expert on zoning1."

In 1954, she wrote "Futurama of New York City," a brochure for the layman which outlines and discusses the need for better zoning and long range planning for the city2.

In 1965, Bartlett was appointed to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. At the time of her induction to the Commission, Bartlett was serving on the board of directors for the Women's City Club of New York.

Apart from her civic career, she was a professional artist and painter. She died in March 1979 at the age of 813.

Key Events Places and Dates

June 1965 - Mayor Robert Wagner appointed Juliet Bartlett as part of the new New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

September 21, 1965 - The Landmarks Commission holds its first public hearing at 10 a.m.

Offices Held

• President of the Women’s City Club of New York (1940-1942, 1954-1957)
• Inducted as one of 11 members of the Landmarks Commission in 1965

Involvement in Preservation Campaigns and Related Activities

Member of the Landmarks Preservation Commission

Juliet Bartlett possessed a strong record of civic involvement, particularly in the area of city planning issues. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s she served on various New York City committees and commissions. She was part of the Traffic Action Committee, the Citizens' Conference on City Planning, and the Mayor's Committee for Better Housing4. Her involvement and passion for New York City led to her appointment as part of the advisory Landmarks Preservation Commission in 19625. In June 1965, after the New York City Landmarks Law was passed, Juliet Bartlett was inducted as a member of the new Landmarks Preservation Commission6. Of the 11 members, she was the only female appointee.

As one of eleven members of the Landmark Preservation Commission in 1965, Juliet Bartlett helped determine "what structures merit being designated landmarks because of historical or architectural distinction" and was "empowered to halt the demolition of a designated landmark for up to a year to devise a plan for the building’s preservation7.”

The Landmarks Commission held its first public hearing on September 21, 1965 at 10 a.m. The old Astor Library on Lafayette Street was among the first sites proposed for designation8. "This 19th-century building, based on the design of a Venetian palazzo, was the city's first major public library9."

In 1965 the building had been sold to a developer who planned to demolish it. The Landmarks Commission arranged for Joseph Papp, producer of the New York Shakespeare Festival, to buy the building for $560,000 as an indoor complex to add to his existing success with outdoor performances of Shakespeare in Central Park. The architecture critic for The New York Times, Ada Louise Huxtable, called it "the miracle on Lafayette Street10." The salvation of the Library stood as the Landmarks Preservation Commission's first major victory.

In addition, proposals to save 28 buildings including the Metropolitan Opera House and the old J.P Morgan Mansion were up for public scrutiny at the first hearing. The 28 stood out because “their future is now in doubt for one reason or the other11.”

The United States Custom House on Bowling Green, the old Naval Hospital in Brooklyn, the Bronx Borough Hall in Crotona Park, six structures at Sailors Snug Harbor on Staten Island, the Kingsland Homestead in Flushing, Queens were among the buildings they sought to preserve12.

Archives, Personal files, and Ephemura

• 1. The Records of the Women’s City Club of New York, Inc. 1916 – 2004, Hunter College Special Archives
• 2. Ibid.
• 3. "Juilet Bartlett Obituary" The New York Times, March 15, 1979
• 4. "To Head Women's Club," New York Times. May 19, 1954. "New Group Begins Action on Traffic," New York Times. November 18, 1947.
• 5. Bennett, Charles G. "City Acts to Save Historical Sites," New York Times. April 22, 1962.
• 6. “Mayor Inducts 11 Members Of Landmark Commission” The New York Times, June 30, 1965
• 7. Ibid.
• 8. Frank B. Gilbert. "Papp Proved That Landmarks Law Works" The New York Times, November 13, 1991
• 9. Ibid.
• 10. Christopher Gray. "The Old Astor Library, Now the Joseph Papp Public Theater; Once It Held Many Pages; Now It Has Many Stages" The New York Times, February 10, 2002
• 11. “Landmark Drive to Open Sept. 21” The New York Times, September 7, 1965
• 12. Ibid.