Historic Districts Council

American nonprofit organization

Historic Districts Council (HDC)

Established| 1970; 55 years ago (1970)
Location|

* 232 East 11th Street,
New York, New York, U.S.

Services| Historic Preservation
Website| www.hdc.org

The Historic Districts Council (HDC) is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as the advocate for New York City's historic buildings, neighborhoods, and public spaces. HDC's YouTube channel[1] provides a large catalog of free walking tour videos, Preservation School classes, conference panels, and other educational programming.

## History

[edit]

HDC was founded in 1970 as a committee of the Municipal Art Society consisting of a coalition of community groups from the designated historic districts of New York City (of which there were then only 14), to serve as their representative, and to advocate for more support for the newly created Landmarks Preservation Commission.[2] In the late 1970s, its focus shifted as it began to advocate for the designation of additional historic districts.

In 1985, HDC became an independent, incorporated organization with its own officers. HDC hired its first full-time executive director in 1992.

HDC's offices are located in the former rectory of St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery,[3] at 232 East 11th Street, in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The organization shares space with the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

Frampton Tolbert is the executive director.

## Advocacy

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In New York City, HDC is the only advocate for designated historic districts and for neighborhoods meriting preservation in all five boroughs. HDC organizes neighborhood residents in their efforts to gain protection for their communities, assists property owners through the Landmarks Preservation Commission's processes, and monitors preserved properties.[4] HDC also helps promote historic districts[5] and holds annual conferences on topics related to preservation.[6]

HDC is an independent, private organization, although it works with the city government, other preservation organizations, and individual neighborhood groups. As an advocate for New York's over 150 designated historic districts, HDC advises community groups about preservation issues and consults with building owners about what Landmarks Preservation Commission regulations mean. HDC is the only organization in the city that covers all applications.

As an advocate for neighborhoods not designated but meriting protection, HDC advises community groups that come to it because they are seeking historic designation. An HDC staff member meets with them in their neighborhoods to talk about what designation means and advises them on how to proceed. They then make concrete suggestions and then counsel groups on how to apply for designation, on what kind of research is necessary and how to get it done. HDC always stresses the importance of community support and helps local groups obtain it. Sometimes HDC initiates the designation process itself, usually in nonresidential areas that do not have local community leaders. In those cases, HDC sponsors the work that would otherwise be done by a community group. HDC also sponsors applications to New York State and National Registers of Historic Places. Listing on these Registers often helps move the designation process forward at the Landmarks Preservation Commission.[citation needed]

To preserve the integrity of the Landmarks Law, HDC monitors the behavior of city government and the LPC, taking issue with actions and policies when as they see needed. HDC testifies before the City Planning Commission, the Art Commission, the Board of Standards and Appeals and the City Council, usually on the effect a proposal would have on historic neighborhoods.[citation needed] Sometimes, the HDC holds public assemblies to gauge the effect of political elections.[7]

## Landmarks Lion Award

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Since 1990, the Historic Districts Council has bestowed the Landmarks Lion Award upon those who have shown unusual devotion and aggressiveness in protecting New York City's historic buildings and neighborhoods.

The Landmarks Lions include:[8]

* Michael Hiller – 2024
* Michael Devonshire – 2023
* Frank E. Sanchis III – 2022
* Darren Walker and the Ford Foundation – 2021
* 50 Years of HDC – 2020
* Anne Van Ingen – 2019
* Boston Valley Terra Cotta, Friends of Terra Cotta, and Gladding, McBean – 2018
* Jeffrey Greene and EverGreene Architectural Arts – 2017
* Nancy Pearsall and Francis Morrone – 2016
* Pride of Lions – 2015
* Andrew Scott Dolkart – 2014
* Hugh & Tiziana Hardy – 2013
* Roberta Brandes Gratz – 2012
* Barbaralee Diamonstein–Spielvogel – 2011
* Robert A. M. Stern – 2010
* Rev. Dr. Thomas F. Pike – 2009
* Walter Melvin – 2008
* Lisa Ackerman – 2007
* Robert Silman – 2006
* Barry Lewis – 2005
* Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners – 2004
* Kitty Carlisle Hart – 2003
* Kenneth K. Fisher – 2002
* Dorothy Miner – 2001
* Joyce Matz – 2000
* Anthony C. Wood – 1999
* Dr. James Marston Fitch – 1998
* Kent Barwick – 1997
* Edward S. Kirkland – 1996
* Joan K. Davidson – 1995
* Arlene Simon – 1994
* Otis Pratt Pearsall – 1994
* Margot Gayle – 1993
* Jack Taylor – 1992
* Halina Rosenthal – 1991
* Christabel Gough – 1990

## Funding

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HDC's financing comes from grants by government entities such as the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Council; from private foundations, funds and corporations; from fund-raising events; and from individual donations. More than 700 Friends of HDC contribute on a regular basis and participate in its public activities.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Historic Districts Council
2. ^ Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. (2010). "Historic Districts of New York City". The Encyclopedia of New York City (Second ed.). Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-18257-6.
3. ^ "About Us". Neighborhood Preservation Center. November 1, 1999. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
4. ^ Marc Denhez; Stephen Dennis (July 1, 1997). Legal & Financial Aspects of Architectural Conservation: The Smolenice Castle Conference Central Europe. Dundurn. p. 112\. ISBN 978-1-55488-207-6. "Another such organization is the Historic Districts Council, which helps property owners in historic districts understand the Commission's process. It also monitors work — the Commission sometimes gets calls saying "There's work going on ..."
5. ^ Fulton Street Transit Center, New York, New York, Section 4(f) Evaluation: Environmental Impact Statement. 2004. p. 92\. "The ElS should include a detailed analysis of potential adverse impacts to historic resource including demolition, new shadows ... The Historic Districts Council (HDC) promotes worthy neighborhoods for designation as a New York City historic ..."
6. ^ Ned Kaufman (September 11, 2009). Place, Race, and Story: Essays on the Past and Future of Historic Preservation. Routledge. p. 229\. ISBN 978-1-135-88972-2. "In 2004, the Historic Districts Council, a leading preservation group, dedicated its annual conference to "Cultural Landmarks: Controversy, Practice and Prospects." In 2008, the organizers of a conference at the Museum of the City of New York ..."
7. ^ Michael A. Tomlan (November 21, 2014). Historic Preservation: Caring for Our Expanding Legacy. Springer. p. 276\. ISBN 978-3-319-04975-5. "Assuming the historic preservation organization is as deeply concerned as it should be in the political process, it will sponsor public forums during election periods. For example, New York City's Historic Districts Council hosts forums, provides ..."
8. ^ https://hdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-LLprogram-final.no-marks.pdf

* v
* t
* e

Historical societies in New York City

The Bronx|

* The Bronx County Historical Society

Brooklyn|

* Center for Brooklyn History
* Coney Island History Project

Manhattan|

* American Irish Historical Society
* American Jewish Historical Society
* Association for the Study of Nationalities
* Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
* Historians of American Communism
* Historic Districts Council
* Leo Baeck Institute New York
* Morgan Library & Museum
* Municipal Art Society
* New-York Historical Society
* New York Landmarks Conservancy
* New York Military Affairs Symposium
* The Renaissance Society of America
* Royal Oak Foundation
* Society of American Historians
* Veteran Corps of Artillery of the State of New York
* World Monuments Fund

Queens|

* Bayside Historical Society
* Greater Astoria Historical Society
* Queens Historical Society

Staten Island|

* Sandy Ground Historical Society
* Staten Island Historical Society

* v
* t
* e

Mid-Atlantic U.S. historical societies

Delaware|

| Wilmington|

* Business History Conference
* Delaware Historical Society

|

Maryland|

| Baltimore|

* Baltimore Heritage
* Community College Humanities Association
* Maryland Center for History and Culture
* Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing

|

Others|

* Association of Black Women Historians (Silver Spring)
* Berkshire Conference of Women Historians (Clarksville)
* C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience (Chestertown)
* Early American Industries Association (Hebron)
* Frederick and Pennsylvania Line Railroad Museum (Walkersville)
* Historical Society of Baltimore County (Cockeysville)
* National History Day (College Park)

New Jersey|

| Boonton|

* Boonton Historical Society and Museum
* United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey

|

Trenton|

* New Jersey Historic Trust
* New Jersey Historical Commission

Others|

* Hunterdon County Historical Society (Flemington)
* Monmouth County Historical Association (Freehold)
* Montclair Historical Society (Montclair)
* New Jersey Historical Society (Newark)
* Sussex County Historical Society (Newton)
* The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills (Basking Ridge)
* Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society (Vineland)

New York|

| Albany|

* Academy of Certified Archivists
* New Netherland Institute
* Preservation League of New York State

|

New York City|

| The Bronx|

* The Bronx County Historical Society

|

Brooklyn|

* Brooklyn Historical Society

Manhattan|

* American Irish Historical Society
* American Jewish Historical Society
* Association for the Study of Nationalities
* Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
* Historians of American Communism
* Historic Districts Council
* Leo Baeck Institute New York
* Morgan Library & Museum
* Municipal Art Society
* New York Historical
* New York Landmarks Conservancy
* New York Military Affairs Symposium
* The Renaissance Society of America
* Royal Oak Foundation
* Society of American Historians
* Veteran Corps of Artillery of the State of New York
* World Monuments Fund

Queens|

* Greater Astoria Historical Society
* Queens Historical Society

Staten Island|

* Staten Island Historical Society

Others|

* Adirondack Architectural Heritage (Keeseville)
* American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (Buffalo)
* Brunswick Historical Society (Brunswick)
* Chemung County Historical Society (Elmira)
* Clinton Historical Society (Clinton)
* Columbia County Historical Society (Hudson)
* Dutchess County Historical Society (Poughkeepsie)
* Historic Palmyra, Palmyra Historical Society (Palmyra)
* Historic Saranac Lake (Saranac Lake)
* Jay Heritage Center (Rye)
* Rensselaer County Historical Society (Troy)
* Schenectady County Historical Society (Schenectady)
* Social Science History Association (Ithaca)
* St. Lawrence County Historical Association (Canton)
* Theodore Roosevelt Association (Oyster Bay)
* Thomas Paine National Historical Association (New Rochelle)
* Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society (Roxbury)
* Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society (Penn Yan)

Pennsylvania|

| Philadelphia|

* German Society of Pennsylvania
* Historical Society of the Episcopal Church
* Historical Society of Frankford
* Historical Society of Pennsylvania
* Pennsylvania German Society
* Presbyterian Historical Society
* Society for Classical Studies
* Society for Historians of the Early American Republic

|

Pittsburgh|

* Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
* Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation

Waynesboro|

* Antietam Historical Association
* Waynesboro Historical Society

Others|

* Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society (Bellefonte)
* Carbondale Historical Society and Museum (Carbondale)
* Chester County History Center (West Chester)
* Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association (Gettysburg)
* Historical Society of Berks County (Reading)
* Johnny Reb Gaming Society (York)
* Lehigh County Historical Society (Allentown)
* Luzerne County Historical Society (Wilkes-Barre)
* Moravian Historical Society (Nazareth)
* Peace History Society (Gwynedd Valley)
* Pennsylvania Historical Association (Mansfield)
* Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (Harrisburg)
* Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society
* Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association (Kinzers)
* Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation (Washington)

Washington, D.C.|

| Northeast|

* Florida House on Capitol Hill
* Supreme Court Historical Society
* United States Capitol Historical Society

|

Northwest|

* Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
* American Battlefield Trust
* American Historical Association
* American Institute for Conservation
* Association for the Study of African American Life and History
* Atomic Heritage Foundation
* German Historical Institute
* Historic Preservation Fund
* Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
* National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
* National Trust for Historic Preservation
* United States Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites
* White House Historical Association

Southeast|

* Naval Historical Foundation
* Naval History and Heritage Command

Others|

* American Studies Association
* Society for History in the Federal Government

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

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