The Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Bard Act and Salute to Preservationists Active Since the 1950s took place on April 5, 2006 at the Battery Gardens Restaurant in Battery Park—a fitting venue for the event as Battery Park was the site of a preservation battle to save Castle Clinton over fifty years ago. The Archive Project honored 14 preservationists whose campaigns, taking place from Washington Square Park to the halls of the legislature, helped to define the preservation movement in New York City and whose and victories still serve as valuable lessons today. 

Anthony C. Wood, Chairman and Founder of the Archive Project welcomed guests and honorees to the Celebration. Dorothy Miner, a lawyer, preservation veteran, and professor in Columbia University’s Historic Preservation Program, gave a brief history of preservation legislation in New York City, including the Bard Act. Ms. Miner also emphasized the importance of remembering preservation’s past while looking ahead to the future, the core mission of the Archive Project. Anne Van Ingen, Director of Architecture, Planning, and Design Projects at the New York State Council on the Arts, also spoke. Ms. Van Ingen recognized each preservation honoree with a brief tribute to his/her contribution to the field of preservation and gave a rousing toast to the special guests. 

In addition, the event was well documented. Barry Stone, who photographed the occasion, captured some very poignant moments of old friends and colleagues remembering preservation movements and reconnecting. The event also provided a venue for the older generation of preservationists to interact and share stories with the younger generations of preservationists. These interactions are valuable learning experiences and satisfy one of the main points of the Archive Project’s mission.

Location:
Battery Gardens Restaurant
inside Battery Park, opposite 17 State Street
New York, NY 10004
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