Historic Districts Council

Historic Districts Council HDC advocates for all of New York City's historic neighborhoods. linktr.ee/hdc_nyc
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When the demolition of Pennsylvania Station in 1963 sparked widespread backlash, the federal government learned somethin...
08/20/2026

When the demolition of Pennsylvania Station in 1963 sparked widespread backlash, the federal government learned something powerful: the public was invested in preserving historic sites for future generations. Three years later, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), a tool to safeguard the country’s heritage in the face of rapid development. Today, a key part of that law is under threat.

Section 106 of NHPA gives communities and preservation organizations a voice in federal decisions affecting historic sites. Last week, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) proposed amendments that would weaken section 106, including making community input optional rather than mandatory. The proposed changes would also reduce consultation requirements with state and Tribal preservation offices, and remove protections for certain cultural landscapes.

HDC stands in solidarity with our country’s state, Tribal and local preservation organizations, and we oppose these drastic amendments that seek to undo sixty years of federal preservation efforts.

Stay tuned for more information on HDC’s opposition to these amendments. You can learn more about the proposals and their implications on our website. Link in bio.

Photo credits
Image 1: PAU
Image 2: Eric K. Washington
Image 3: Evan P. Cordes
Image 4: HDC

Discover the history, thrills and perseverance of one of New York City’s most iconic neighborhoods on this 90-minute in-...
08/19/2026

Discover the history, thrills and perseverance of one of New York City’s most iconic neighborhoods on this 90-minute in-person guided walking tour. You'll see icons of Coney Island such as the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel, smell local classics like Nathan’s and Williams Candy, and hear stories of vaudeville legends, landmarks lost and a few still fighting to survive today.

🗓️ Saturday, August 29
🕟 1 - 2:30pm
📍Coney Island, Brooklyn

The tour will be led by Marissa Solomon – community member, activist and docent at the Coney Island Museum.

General Admission $15; Friend of HDC / Senior $10

Visit hdc.org to purchase tickets. Link in bio!

As it has for more than 20 years, the Historic Districts Council honors a special New Yorker who has made a particularly...
08/12/2026

As it has for more than 20 years, the Historic Districts Council honors a special New Yorker who has made a particularly significant contribution to the celebration and preservation of New York City. This year, HDC is delighted to present the 2026 Landmarks Lion Award to Carol Clark and Franny Eberhart, two luminaries in New York City’s preservation movement at our fall gala.

Carol Clark is known across New York City and State for her involvement in almost every aspect of the preservation movement – leading numerous organizations, serving for years at government agencies, and nurturing generations of new preservation advocates. Franny Eberhart has been an unsung leader, involved in nurturing and growing numerous preservation organizations that advocate for our city’s architectural and historical places.

Both are graduates of Columbia’s Historic Preservation program, and their early careers included working for numerous preservation organizations and agencies including the New York State Historic Preservation Office, Municipal Art Society, New York Landmarks Conservancy, Historic House Trust, Friends of the Upper East Side, and HDC. Carol and Franny’s leadership shaped the development, signature initiatives, and professionalization of these entities that are pillars of the preservation community today.

Your support in joining the Benefit Committee will truly celebrate Carol and Franny’s remarkable contributions to New York City and beyond. Joining the committee will also ensure that the Historic Districts Council is able to continue its valuable work with more than 500 communities and neighborhoods to preserve, protect, and celebrate New York’s historic places.

To learn more about Franny and Carol’s contributions and to sign up, visit the link in our bio. We hope to see you on November 10th!

HDC is the advocate for all of New York City's historic neighborhoods and part of our mission is to further preservation...
07/24/2026

HDC is the advocate for all of New York City's historic neighborhoods and part of our mission is to further preservation ethic. This year, we held a new event in our continuing work to provide new opportunities for young preservationists.

Our inaugural Young Preservationist Party and Kroessler Award Presentation, held at Fraunces Tavern® Museum, brought together current preservation students, recent graduates, and early career preservation professionals with leaders in the preservation field to network and connect.

HDC’s 2025 Kroessler Award recipient, Frederick, also gave a short presentation on his award-winning subject, Preserving the Past, Serving the Present: The Role of Contemporary Restaurants in Balancing Modern Functionality with Historic Preservation in New York City.

In May, we also held the jury for our third annual Jeffrey Kroessler Student Research Award. This year’s recipient, Elise LaGraize, was awarded for her subject, What Remains: Preserving Industrial Memory at the Lidgerwood Site at our 2026 Grassroots Preservation Awards.

Special thanks to the Richard H. Jenrette Foundation for supporting the inaugural Young Preservationist Party and thank you to all sponsors for the Jeffrey Kroessler Student Research Award!

Please make a donation today to support HDC in providing new opportunities for young preservationists. Visit our website, linked below, to donate.

Thank you!

https://hdc.org/donate-now/

The Six to Celebrate (STC) program annually selects six neighborhood groups in New York City that merit preservation. Th...
07/15/2026

The Six to Celebrate (STC) program annually selects six neighborhood groups in New York City that merit preservation. The chosen neighborhoods are priorities for HDC’s advocacy and consultation over a yearlong period. The 2026 Six to Celebrate neighborhoods and community partners are:

* Architectural Community Alliance of Roosevelt Island – Roosevelt Island, Manhattan
* Bronx Art Deco Apartment House Archive (BADAHA) – The Bronx
* Coney Island Museum – Coney Island, Brooklyn
* Historic Hotels – Citywide
* NYC Historic Floral District Museum – Flower District, Manhattan
* Stuyvesant North Preservation Society (SNPS) – Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

The Historic Districts Council is the leading voice for New York City’s historic buildings, neighborhoods, and public spaces. Your support ensures that preservation plays an integral role in the City’s future and allows us to continue supporting community groups of the past, present, and future. Please donate today to support HDC’s work preserving the places that matter to you.

Visit the link below to donate. Thank you!

https://hdc.org/donate-now/

On June 18, 2026, we honored our 2026 Grassroots Preservation Awardees and we’re so thankful for all who attended to cel...
07/02/2026

On June 18, 2026, we honored our 2026 Grassroots Preservation Awardees and we’re so thankful for all who attended to celebrate their historic preservation efforts and accomplishments with us!

Since 2000, the Historic Districts Council has honored more than 150 individuals, community groups, coalitions, elected officials, and press outlets for their achievements. This year, HDC celebrated over two decades of the tradition to recognize, honor, and encourage public participation in the preservation process. Once more, our 2026 honorees are:

Beverley Square West Association
Merchant’s House Museum
The Sandy Ground Historical Society
John Freeman Gill, Friend from the Media Award
Vicki Weiner, Mickey Murphy Lifetime Achievement Award

We also presented the 2026 Jeffrey Kroessler Student Research Award to Elise LaGraize for her thesis, What Remains: Preserving Industrial Memory at the Lidgerwood Site.

We would like to thank our Grassroots Co-Sponsors, especially our Preservation Professional Sponsors, for their continued support.

The images from the night are now live on our website! Please visit www.hdc.org to view them.

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To ensure that preservation plays an integral role in the City’s future and allows us to continue supporting community groups of the past, present, and future, please make a donation today to support HDC’s work preserving the places that matter to you!

To donate, please visit www.hdc.org/donate-now/.

Do you know of a historic hotel in your neighborhood? We want to hear from you! As part of this year’s Six to Celebrate...
07/01/2026

Do you know of a historic hotel in your neighborhood? We want to hear from you!

As part of this year’s Six to Celebrate program, HDC is undertaking a citywide initiative to survey historic hotels, especially those that could be potential candidates for adaptive reuse as housing.

From supportive housing and senior living to student residences and affordable apartments, these buildings hold enormous potential for adaptive reuse while preserving the city’s architectural history. To prove this, HDC has been working on case studies to learn best practices of preserving historic hotels.

Your input can help shape future preservation and housing solutions across NYC. If you know of a historic hotel in your area or elsewhere in the city, complete the historic hotels survey linked below!

https://ow.ly/ijcq50ZjmXE

Join Meisha Hunter from Li/Saltzman Architects as she describes the St. Augustine project, an example of the 74-711 Spec...
06/17/2026

Join Meisha Hunter from Li/Saltzman Architects as she describes the St. Augustine project, an example of the 74-711 Special Permit, which will include exterior restoration of this 1966-designated individual landmark church and construction of new affordable housing on the site.

Participants will learn about the Zoning Resolution 74-711 Special Permit and how this mechanism can promote balance between development and restoration for economically challenged historic religious properties. Topics for discussion will include a brief history of construction and alterations at St. Augustine of Hippo Church (individual NYC landmark and contributing building within the Lower East Side National Register District; including the uniqueness of the LPC Designation Report for St. Augustine that anticipated new development on the landmark site. Attendees will also hear more about the scope of exterior restoration at the Church and proposed new construction of the mixed use tower, as well as the importance of establishing a Cyclical Maintenance Plan for future maintenance of this important individual landmark.

This Preservation School is part of HDC’s continued program series, “Preserving Affordability” on the intersection of housing and preservation.

This event is co-sponsored by the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative.

General Admission $5 / AIA Credit $25 (1 AIA LU Credit)

Register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/kysjKEhiD06RaYK3R7r4SA2

📸: Synoesis

First Houses, the first public housing project in New York City, celebrated the 90th anniversary of its completion in De...
06/17/2026

First Houses, the first public housing project in New York City, celebrated the 90th anniversary of its completion in December 2025. Brad Greenberg, Executive Director, and Isabel Kirsch, Junior Research and Policy Fellow at the Furman Center will give an illustrated talk on the history and significance of First Houses based on their archival research and original brief published about the project.

Following their presentation, the panelists will have a moderated conversation with Frampton Tolbert, Executive Director of the Historic Districts Council, and Andrew Berman, Executive Director of Village Preservation, about lessons learned from First Houses and how these lessons could be applied to housing needs citywide.

This talk is part of HDC's Preservation School series, classes and talks designed to empower New Yorkers to take an active role in their communities through educational programming on preservation advocacy, New York City history, and case studies on iconic buildings and places.

Co-sponsored by Village Preservation.

Free Admission; Pre-Registration Required. Register here: https://hdc.org/events/celebrating-90-years-of-first-houses-june-24/

📸: Courtesy of LaGuardia & Wagner Archives (photo ID 02.016.420). Per the NYU Furman Center’s licensing agreement with NYCHA and the LaGuardia & Wagner Archives, this image cannot be downloaded, republished, retransmitted, reproduced, or otherwise used as a stand-alone file. If you are interested in using this image for an academic or other purpose, please contact the NYU Furman Center at [email protected] before utilizing the image.

ANNOUNCING OUR 2026 JEFFREY KROESSLER STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD WINNER Elise LaGraize is an architectural designer and pres...
06/12/2026

ANNOUNCING OUR 2026 JEFFREY KROESSLER STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD WINNER

Elise LaGraize is an architectural designer and preservationist from Lafayette, Louisiana. She is a graduate of Louisiana State University and recently received her Master’s degree in Historic Preservation from Pratt Institute. Her research blends her architectural background with historic preservation, exploring alternative models of preservation that integrate contemporary design.

Elise’s thesis, What Remains: Preserving Industrial Memory at the Lidgerwood Site, proposes a post-demolition preservation model for the site of the Lidgerwood Manufacturing Complex in Red Hook that uses new design to reinforce industrial continuity, labor memory, and working waterfront culture rather than relying on the retention of physical structures. By combining heritage interpretation, speculative design, and community-informed programming, this thesis demonstrates how redevelopment can be a preservation tool for industrial heritage in urban waterfront neighborhoods facing gentrification pressures. Congratulations Elise!

Thank you to all who have applied and our 2026 Kroessler jury for their dedication to this year's process. Join us on Tuesday, June 18th for our Grassroots Preservation Awards to honor Elise and our Grassroots Award recipients for their achievements. Limited tickets are available; click the link to purchase.

https://secure.everyaction.com/nU4LsOWw2UmDQjnimYNQbQ2

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231 W 29th Street
New York, NY
10001

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Monday 9:30am - 6pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 6pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 6pm
Thursday 9:30am - 6pm
Friday 9:30am - 6pm

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+12126149107

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