Andrew Berman in conversation with Anthony Wood
Why Albert Bard is more important today than ever!
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Admission
Open to the public
RSVP required
$10 | General admission
FREE | Village Preservation and Salmagundi club members
About the Event
Join Andrew Berman, Executive Director of Village Preservation, in conversation with Anthony C. Wood, historian of New York City’s preservation movement and author of Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero (Bloomsbury, 2025). Together, they will explore the legacy of Albert Bard (1866-1963), grandfather of NYC’s landmarks law and civic advocate extraordinaire.
Bard’s life is instructive, inspirational, and at times, seemingly incredible. From battling Robert Moses and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America to drafting and achieving the passage of the Bard Act (NYS’s enabling legislation that is the legal basis for NYC’s Landmarks Law) the conversation explores the relevancy of Bard’s life and legacy to today’s preservationists as they confront the challenges ahead.
Hungry?
Grab a bite to eat after the event from our dining room (a normally member-only benefit)! Ticketed attendees who would like to stay for drinks and dinner should make dining reservations in advance via our Reservations page with the message “Bellov talk”.
About the Interviewer
Berman, a Bronx native, has been executive director of Village Preservation (previously Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation), a neighborhood preservation organization in New York City, since 2002. He has served on the boards of the New York State Tenants and Neighbors Coalition, Housing Conservation Coordinators, the Chelsea Reform Democratic Club, the Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood Association, as well as founding member of the West Side Neighborhood Alliance and Friends of Pier 84 and member of the Board of Advisers of the NYC Historic Districts Council.
Andrew Berman has been called one of the 100 Most Influential New Yorkers, having made significant contributions to preserving the character of Greenwich Village and has also been acknowledged in various influential lists, including Vanity Fair’s “Hall of Fame” and New York Magazine’s list of influential figures. Berman’s work focuses on advocacy for historic preservation and community engagement, making him a notable figure in New York’s cultural and social landscape. His efforts highlight the importance of maintaining the unique identity of neighborhoods amidst urban development pressures.
About the Speaker
Anthony C. Wood is a preservation activist, author, and historian. Since l993, Wood has been the Executive Director of the Ittleson Foundation. Prior to that he served as the Chief Program Officer at the J. M. Kaplan Fund. For over twenty years he was an adjunct professor in the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation. He holds a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Illinois, is a graduate of Kenyon College, and was a Historic Deerfield Summer Fellow.
For decades, Wood has served on a variety of non-profit preservation boards from local grassroots organizations to large national nonprofits. He is a past Chair of the Preservation League of New York State, a former Board Member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a former Chair of Partners for Sacred Places, is Chairman Emeritus of the Historic Districts Council, and is the founder and Chair Emeritus of the New York Preservation Archive Project. He is the author of Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City’s Landmarks (Routledge, 2008). His new book Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero (Bloomsbury, 2025) is a biography of Albert S. Bard.