Vishaan Chakrabarti and Thomas Dyja, Beyond Architecture: The NEW New York

Beyond Architecture brings together architectural critics, city planners, historians, scholars, journalists, and more to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the passage of the New York City Landmarks Law, exploring the past, present, and future of historic preservation in America’s great metropolis in its 400th year. In this special event, contributors Vishaan Chakrabarti and Thomas Dyja discuss their current understanding and visions for “the future of the past.”

Edited by Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Beyond Architecture: The New New York is a volume of new essays, never before in print, commissioned by the NYC Landmarks60 Alliance to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the passage of the New York City Landmarks Law. The 1965 law established the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) and initiated the era of historic preservation in New York City (the largest city in the United States). Today (as of July 2024) the Landmarks Preservation Commission oversees more than 38,000 buildings and sites throughout New York City, and has designated 158 historic districts and extensions, 1,464 individual landmarks, 123 interior landmarks, and 12 scenic landmarks (for example, all of Central Park comprises one landmark).

“Honor our past, imagine our future” is the axiom of the NYC Landmarks60 Alliance. The contributors have written essays with forward-looking visions and consider “the future of the past” in the twenty-first century. Each contributor is uniquely placed to understand and explore this challenging topic. Their individual essays explore varied aspects of the impact, legacy, and current and future status of historic preservation in New York City. All the essays are meant to inspire reflection, hope, and excitement about the future of the new New York, its complex history, and its never-ending transformation.