An Internal Memorandum Revealed

Today, we are posting an internal memorandum (prepared by a then-employee of the Municipal Art Society but never approved or released by MAS) which gives a thorough review of the current problems with the Landmarks Preservation Commission and provides well thought-out recommendations for reforming it.

The report looks closely at current issues with the Commission (like making important application decisions behind closed doors), ways to increase revenue (especially important these days in the face of continued budget stress), emerging preservation issues and the need to make timely commissioner appointments to ensure Commission independence ( we know a little something about that ).

One telling passage:

The Commission should carefully examine its own current practices with regard to designation to make sure that both the letter and the spirit of the Landmarks Law are being carried out. Once it has done so, it should clarify the workings of the process for the public; otherwise it may soon find itself challenged by an unlikely adversary: the preservation advocates who have been the city's greatest supporters of landmark designation.

As far as we know, this report was written in 2003. The Citizens Emergency Committee to Preserve Preservation's campaign was launched in 2006, so it looks like their prediction came true! You can read the report in full here .

Note: The condition of the copy we are posting is a bit rough, as it has been marked up with pen and poorly scanned. We hope that you find it informative, nonetheless.