Celebrating New York Landmarks, Both Saved and Lost

The demolition of New York’s original Penn Station in 1963 is one of the most notorious outrages in the city's history. When the majestic McKim, Mead & White structure fell to the wrecking ball, it galvanized the local preservationist movement and just two years later, then-Mayor Robert F. Wagner signed New York’s landmarks law into effect. The law provided a legal foundation for those who believed that certain buildings and neighborhoods were worth saving. Today, 1,347 individual buildings are landmarked, along with 113 historic districts, 117 interiors, and 10 scenic landmarks, which includes Central Park.

It was a watershed moment in American architectural history, and the new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, “Saving Place: 50 Years of New York City Landmarks,” looks back at the forces that led to the law’s passage and at the impact it has had on the city over that half century.