Advocacy

Why Preserve?      

“Preservationists are the only people in the world who are invariably confirmed 
in their wisdom after the fact.” ~~John Kenneth Galbraith

New York’s history has shown that its preservationists are the “cooler heads” in the city’s heated real-estate climate.  Developers seeking maximum profits, political appointees doing the Mayor’s bidding, business interests promoting economic development through architectural cleansing—these are the hot heads.  Powerful special interests seeking short-term gain do not produce sound public policy or long-term vision.

Preservation, on the other hand, has proven itself to be a major promoter of the public interest.  New Yorkers and visitors to the city know this from personal experience.  Walk through our city’s historic districts and admire its individual, scenic and interior landmarks.  New York’s most exciting, vibrant, livable neighborhoods are also its most historically and architecturally significant areas.  The value of these places today is virtually unquestioned.  Yet those with memories will remember the hard-fought battles required to protect so many of these landmarks. 

Architecture critic Paul Goldberger said about the Upper West Side and LW’s work to preserve it:

“The Upper West Side is not going to be frozen nor should it be frozen. LW! will always have a role in the neighborhood’s ongoing health and preservation. You can never put a neighborhood on auto-pilot. You can never say, ‘the work is done.’”

New York City needs its cooler heads, or else the hot heads will erode the beauty and integrity of our neighborhoods.  Those in power come and go, but the damage they do—whether intentional or accidental—may well be permanent. 

Find out how you can join the “cooler heads” and help preserve New York!