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Teri Slater

Teri Slater

Teri Slater dedicated much of her life to the preservation of her city’s architecture and character. From co-founding the Defenders of the Historic Upper East Side to drafting lists of the “Top 10 Most Wanted” gaudy storefronts in her neighborhood, her efforts to preserve New York City, especially the Upper East Side, were all encompassing.

Organizations: Defenders of the Historic Upper East Side, Historic Districts Council, Community Board 8, Friends of the Upper East Side Historic District, City Neighbors Coalition
Places: City & Suburban York Avenue Estate; 980 Madison Avenue; Upper East Side Historic District; Special Madison Avenue Preservation District; William Goadby Loew House; Central Park’s: Naumburg Bandshell, Children’s Zoo, Richard Dattner Adventure Playgrounds; Public Schools designed by C.B.J. Snyder
Above: Teri Slater | Photo Courtesy of the Historic Districts Council

Teri Slater was born in 1945 and raised on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.[1] Before pursuing preservation she held a corporate job and also briefly taught in Palo Alto, California.[2] After marrying, her family moved to 119 East 78th Street and she headed the local block association.[3] There, in the 1980s, she joined the campaign to create the Upper East Side Historic District.[4] She continued to advocate broadly and energetically for numerous preservation causes until her passing in 2015 at the age of 70.[5]

 

 

 

Co-Founder: Defenders of the Historic Upper East Side

Officer; Director; Co-Chair of Public Review Committee: Historic Districts Council

Member of Landmarks Committee; Co-Chair of Zoning and Development Committee: Community Board 8

Slater was involved with numerous preservation battles over the years. From the high profile, such as the Children's Zoo and Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, to the lesser known, such as the former cottages and gardens on 78th Street & 3rd Avenue.6 She believed historic preservation functioned to save a sense of place as well as the character of a neighborhood.7 The desire to save that sense of place is evident in her participation in the battle to save City & Suburban York Avenue Estate – a well preserved example of low-income urban housing from the early 20th century.8 She was part of the decade-long fight to prevent its demolition and acknowledged that refusal to compromise helped save an important piece of the City’s urban history.9

Not every battle was successful. In 2006, Aby Rosen pushed to restore 980 Madison Avenue with a 30-story glass tower added to its roof.10 Slater stated at the time that everything about the design “was just wrong.”11 In 2007, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission rejected the proposal.12 However, the victory was temporary and in 2009 a five-story addition was approved by the LPC though the site has not yet been redeveloped.13

Slater also fought against inappropriate changes to the William Goadby Loew House at 56 East 93rd Street (designed by Walker & Gillette) and against the construction of a view- and light-blocking residential tower on 91st and Madison Avenue. 14

Working with others was key for Slater and a reminder that preservation battles are won through the joint community efforts of concerned citizens. 15 Her participation in the leadership and creation of preservation advocacy groups such as the Defenders of the Historic Upper East Side (2003) and as an officer, director and co-chair for the Historic Districts Council illustrate the point.16 Slater also pursued preservation by serving as chairman of the Zoning and Development Committee for Community Board 8.17 Here, she fought against zoning exemptions believing zoning regulations were an important means to “preserve the context and character of historic districts.”18

In 2015, Slater was presented with the Historic Districts Council’s Grassroots Preservation Award acknowledging her decades of work to preserve New York City and especially the Upper East Side.19

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[1] Teri Slater, interview by Edith Bellinghouse, 11 April 2012, transcript, New York Preservation Archive Project, 1, https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Slater_Teri_20120411.pdf.

[2] Teri Slater, interview by Edith Bellinghouse, 11 April 2012, transcript, New York Preservation Archive Project, 2, https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Slater_Teri_20120411.pdf.

[3] Christopher London, email message to author, 26 October 2021.

[4] Teri Slater, interview by Edith Bellinghouse, 11 April 2012, transcript, New York Preservation Archive Project, 2, https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Slater_Teri_20120411.pdf.

[5] “Teri Slater Obituary,” New York Times, 17 January 2015, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nytimes/name/teri-slater-obituary?n=teri-slater&pid=173881660; and “In Memoriam,” NYPAP, accessed September 20, 2021, https://www.nypap.org/in-memoriam/.

[6] Teri Slater, interview by Edith Bellinghouse, 11 April 2012, transcript, New York Preservation Archive Project, 17, https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Slater_Teri_20120411.pdf; and Christopher London, email message to author, 26 October 2021 (London explains other preservation efforts taken on by Slater include the Naumburg Bandshell and the Richard Dattner Adventure Playgrounds in Central Park, public schools designed by C.B. J. Snyder, as well as efforts to review and landmark East Harlem and the Washburn Wire Factory premises).

[7] Teri Slater, interview by Edith Bellinghouse, 11 April 2012, transcript, New York Preservation Archive Project, preface, https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Slater_Teri_20120411.pdf. Also see: Amy Zimmer, “Family’s ‘Last Hurrah’ after 40 Halloweens on East 78th Street,” dnainfo, 28 October 2011, https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20111028/upper-east-side/familys-last-hurrah-after-40-halloweens-on-east-78th-street/; and: Kate Briquelet, “UES residents protest gaudy ‘illegal’ signs at Best Buy, Staples,” New York Post, 17 June 2012, https://nypost.com/2012/06/17/ues-residents-protest-gaudy-illegal-signs-at-best-buy-staples/.

[8] “City & Suburban York Avenue Estate,” Six to Celebrate, accessed 1 October 2021, https://6tocelebrate.org/site/city-suburban-york-avenue-estate/.

[9] Teri Slater, interview by Edith Bellinghouse, 11 April 2012, transcript, New York Preservation Archive Project, 35, https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Slater_Teri_20120411.pdf; and Anne Ashby Gilbert, The Fight for City and Suburban Homes A Model for Successful Community Action, (New York: Coalition to Save City & Suburban Housing, 1998), 9.

[10] Chan Sewell, “Preservation Commission Turns Down Proposal for Upper East Side Tower.” New York Times, 17 January 2007, http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/newspapers/preservation-commission-turns-down-proposal-upper/docview/433483150/se-2?accountid=10226.

[11] Teri Slater, interview by Edith Bellinghouse, 11 April 2012, transcript, New York Preservation Archive Project, 13, https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Slater_Teri_20120411.pdf.

[12] Chan Sewell, “Preservation Commission Turns Down Proposal for Upper East Side Tower.” New York Times, 17 January 2007, http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/newspapers/preservation-commission-turns-down-proposal-upper/docview/433483150/se-2?accountid=10226.

[13] Sara Polsky, “Once-Controversial 980 Madison Avenue is Now for Sale,” Curbed, 28 February 2013, https://ny.curbed.com/2013/2/28/10268798/once-controversial-980-madison-avenue-is-now-for-sale.

[14] Christopher London, email message to author, 26 October 2021. Per London, Slater worked with Dr. Christopher W. London, Carnegie Hill Neighbors, Jane Parshall, Carol M. McFadden (George McFadden’s wife) and others on the Platt and Bayard project.

[15]  Christopher London, email message to author, 26 October 2021, “Her friendships with Halina Rosenthal, Jack Taylor, Christabel Gough, Anthony C. Wood, Betty Cooper Wallerstein, Michael Gotkin, and a host of other people deeply involved in Historic Preservation in NYC were a great aid to her efforts and helped ensure success with those undertakings.”

[16] “About,” Defenders of the Historic Upper East Side, accessed 4 October 2021, http://defenders-hues.org/about/

[17] Teri Slater, interview by Edith Bellinghouse, 11 April 2012, transcript, New York Preservation Archive Project, 31,  https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Slater_Teri_20120411.pdf.

[18] Teri Slater, interview by Edith Bellinghouse, 11 April 2012, transcript, New York Preservation Archive Project, 31-33,  https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Slater_Teri_20120411.pdf.

[19] Teri Slater, interview by Edith Bellinghouse, 11 April 2012, transcript, New York Preservation Archive Project, preface, https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Slater_Teri_20120411.pdf.