Simeon Bankoff | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Education | Sarah Lawrence College, Pratt Institute |
Occupation | Activist |
Spouse | Hafina Allen |
Simeon Bankoff is a New York City preservation activist. He served as executive director of the Historic Districts Council, a New York City, USA, not-for-profit organization, [1] from November 2000 through 2021. [2]
During his tenure, he positioned the Historic Districts Council at the forefront of numerous historic preservation campaigns, including the drive to save the formerly industrial neighborhoods of Brooklyn's waterfront, the protection of Lower Manhattan's unprotected historic buildings, fighting out-of-scale development along Central Park and advocating for the preservation of low-density historic neighborhoods in Queens.
He also led HDC's involvement in campaigns to preserve a number of individual buildings, such as the Trylon Theater in Queens, 2 Columbus Circle in Manhattan and the Lady Moody House in Brooklyn. In addition to helping communities throughout the five boroughs, he has also helped HDC promote legislation to help preserve New York's unprotected historic buildings as well as producing regular educational programs on history and preservation in New York City.
Previous to becoming executive director of the Historic Districts Council, Bankoff worked for a number of other historic preservation organizations in New York City, including the Historic House Trust where he worked to acquire 18th and 19th Century farmhouses for the city, and the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation, where he helped initiate the Cultural Medallions plaque program which commemorate the residences of notable New Yorkers such as Jack Kerouac, Frank O'Hara, George Gershwin and Edna St. Vincent Millay. [3]
A lifelong resident of Brooklyn, Bankoff holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and a MS in Historic Preservation from Pratt Institute.
Long Island City (LIC) is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the western tip of Queens, a borough in New York City in the United States. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; New Calvary Cemetery in Sunnyside to the east; and Newtown Creek, which separates Queens from Greenpoint, Brooklyn, to the south.
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The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and culturally significant buildings and sites by granting them landmark or historic district status, and regulating them after designation. It is the largest municipal preservation agency in the nation. As of July 1, 2020, the LPC has designated more than 37,800 landmark properties in all five boroughs. Most of these are concentrated in historic districts, although there are over a thousand individual landmarks, as well as numerous interior and scenic landmarks.
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The boroughs of New York City are the five major governmental districts that compose New York City. The boroughs are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough is coextensive with a respective county of the State of New York: The Bronx is Bronx County, Brooklyn is Kings County, Manhattan is New York County, Queens is Queens County, and Staten Island is Richmond County.
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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 provides a large catalog of free walking tour videos, Preservation School classes, conference panels, and other educational programming.
George McAneny, was an American newspaperman, municipal reformer and advocate of preservation and city planning from New York City. He served as Manhattan Borough President from 1910 to 1913, President of the New York City Board of Aldermen from 1914 to 1916, and New York City Comptroller in 1933. He also held several other positions throughout his career, serving as an executive officer of the New York City Civil Service Commission in 1902, secretary of the New York Civil Service Reform League (1894-1902), executive manager of The New York Times (1916-1921), and president of the Regional Plan Association (1930-1940).
Andrew Berman is an architectural and cultural heritage preservationist in New York City. He is known for being an opponent of new housing construction in New York City.