Mary Ann DiNapoli
Mary Ann Haick DiNapoli was a historian, genealogist and preservation activist who advocated for landmarking Manhattan’s former Little Syria. Her efforts resulted in the landmarking of St. George Syrian Melkite Church in Little Syria.
Mary Ann Haick DiNapoli was a genealogist, historian and preservationist of Syrian descent passionate about preserving Arab American history in New York City.[1] She graduated from St. Joseph’s College in 1975 with a degree in History.[2] Her degree served as a launching pad for her multifaceted career. During her lifetime she was a professional genealogist with a specialization in 1850-1925 Brooklyn and Manhattan.[3] She was also considered the historian of the South Ferry Arab American community in Brooklyn.[4] Further, she founded the Arab American Heritage Association in 1989.[5] She also presented at the Library of Congress in 2011 at a conference on the first Arab-American novel, The Book of Khalid, where she discussed one of the settings of the novel and its depiction of Little Syria.[6]DiNapoli passed away in 2020.[7]
Arab American Heritage Association
- Founder
Arab American National Museum Little Syria Exhibition Advisory Committee
- Member8
Friends of the Lower West Side
- Member9
DiNapoli’s work as a historian of Arab American history in New York City functioned as the backbone for her preservation efforts. DiNapoli’s historical expertise was recognized on various occasions such as when she spoke at the Museum of the City of New York’s two-day symposium on “A Community of Many Worlds: Arab Americans in New York City.”10 The lecture was later turned into a printed publication.11 In 2009, DiNapoli spoke as a historian in favor of the New York City Landmark designation of St. George’s Syrian Melkite Catholic Church.12 Her own work from the earlier symposium was a key reference supporting the site’s successful designation.13 DiNapoli was also involved in designation efforts for other sites in Little Syria: the Downtown Community House at 105-107 Washington Street and the tenement at 109 Washington Street.14 Beyond historic structures, DiNapoli’s passion for preserving the Arab American history of New York City was also evident by her engagement with the greater community in her role as a historian and tour guide in the Atlantic Avenue neighborhood of Brooklyn.15 Here, she worked to preserve the area's intangible heritage by sharing its shops, foods and traditions further emphasizing DiNapoli's multifaceted approach to preservation.16
[1] Joseph Svehlack, interview by Sarah Dziedzic, 1 February 2021, transcript, New York Preservation Archive Project, 53.
[2] “Alumnagrani 1991,” St. Joseph’s College, accessed 18 July 2021, https://archive.org/stream/alumnagram4244stjo/alumnagram4244stjo_djvu.txt.
[3] “Association of Professional Genealogists New York Metro Chapter,” APG, accessed 18 July 2021, https://www.apgen.org/cpages/chapters-newyorkmetro.
[4] “Alumnagrani 1991,” St. Joseph’s College, accessed 18 July 2021, https://archive.org/stream/alumnagram4244stjo/alumnagram4244stjo_djvu.txt.
[5] Joseph Svehlack, interview by Sarah Dziedzic, 1 February 2021, transcript, New York Preservation Archive Project, 53.
[6] Mary-Jane Deeb, “The Book of Khalid: Conference Marks Centennial of First Arab-American Novel,” Library of Congress Information Bulletin May 2011, accessed 1 August, 2021. https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/1105/novel.html.
[7] “In Memoriam,” New York Preservation Archive Project, 33rd Edition. (2020): 11. https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FallWinter2020Newsletter_11.19.20.pdf.
[8] “Visit Historic Little Syria, New York at Arab American National Museum,” Arab America, 28 November 2021, https://www.arabamerica.com/visit-historic-little-syria-new-york-at-arab-american-national-museum/.
[9] “Long before ‘FiDi’, ‘Little Syria’was Downtown,” amNY, 15 May 2013 https://www.amny.com/news/long-before-fidi-little-syria-was-downtown/.
[10] Mary Ann Haick DiNapoli, “The Syrian-Lebanese Community of South Ferry from Its Origin to 1977,” in Kathleen Benson and Philip M. Kayal, Eds., A Community of Many Worlds: Arab- Americans in New York City (New York: the Museum of the City of New York; Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 2002), 11-27.
[11] “St. George’s Syrian Catholic Church,” New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, accessed 1 August 2021, http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2167.pdf;
[12] “St. George’s Syrian Catholic Church,” New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, accessed 1 August 2021, http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2167.pdf; and Mary Ann Haick DiNapoli, “The Syrian-Lebanese Community of South Ferry from Its Origin to 1977,” in Kathleen Benson and Philip M. Kayal, Eds., A Community of Many Worlds: Arab- Americans in New York City (New York: the Museum of the City of New York; Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 2002), 11-27
[13] “In Memoriam,” New York Preservation Archive Project, 33rd Edition. (2020): 11. https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FallWinter2020Newsletter_11.19.20.pdf.
[14] Sarah Knowles, “Wintertime in the Atlantic Avenue Bazaars,” Patch. 4 January, 2012. https://patch.com/new-york/carrollgardens/ev–wintertime-in-the-atlantic-avenue-bazaars.
[15] Sarah Knowles, “Wintertime in the Atlantic Avenue Bazaars,” Patch. 4 January, 2012. https://patch.com/new-york/carrollgardens/ev–wintertime-in-the-atlantic-avenue-bazaars; and
[16] “Long before ‘FiDi’, ‘Little Syria’ was Downtown,” amNY, 15 May 2013 https://www.amny.com/news/long-before-fidi-little-syria-was-downtown/.