June 1, 2018 | NYPAP

One of the Archive Project’s primary missions is to save important archives relating to the history of the preservation movement in New York City. In 2018, the Archive Project has stepped in several times to safeguard key papers.

In February, the Archive Project began discussions with architect Lee Harris Pomeroy regarding his materials from the fight in the early 1980s to save the historic Broadway theaters. Sadly, Pomeroy passed away a few weeks later. However, because the process was underway, Pomeroy’s firm knew of his intention to find a permanent archival home. The Archive Project has secured a permanent depository for the Pomeroy archive: the New-York Historical Society. The materials include designs by Pomeroy that would have saved the historic Helen Hayes and Morosco theaters; press clippings regarding protests to stop the demolitions; and studies supported by the J.M. Kaplan Fund.

The Archive Project also worked with longtime preservationist Jack Taylor to find a home for his archive relating to saving Tammany Hall, which stands at the northeast corner of Union Square (now subject to a glass dome addition on top). The New-York Historical Society has agreed to make the papers available to researchers as a part of its collection.