Recognizing the continued impact of historic redlining in NYC

On March 27, 2024, AYON Studio Principal Angel Ayón participated in “Legacies of Redlining: Preservation and Development in Manhattan,” an interdisciplinary roundtable discussion at the AIA NY Center for Architecture.

The exclusionary “redlining” of the mid-20th century had a seemingly indelible impact on many communities in NYC and across the US, including Harlem and other neighborhoods of Manhattan, which were the focus of the evening’s discussion. Angel set the context for the discussion with a careful, honest definition of “redlining” as “government-sponsored racist policies devised by white people to oppress black people… I think it’s important, for us to have this conversation, to call it for what it is.”  

The group later talked about the effects of gentrification and renewed urban investment on these neighborhoods, and how their cultural assets have been and can be retained through historic preservation advocacy. Angel specifically weighed in on how “integrity” is typically used in determining what structures warrant preservation or designation.

The sold-out event was the first in a series of borough-based conversations intended to build capacity, share narratives, and develop a collective understanding of both historical parallels and preservation paradigm shifts happening now. These talks are organized by AIANY Historic Buildings Committee and AIANY Planning and Urban Design Committee, in collaboration with Open House New York, Historic Districts Council, and inCitu. In addition to host Jessica Morris, other speakers included Chris Cirillo of Ascendant Neighborhood Development, Mary Rocco of Barnard College, Dr. Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani from Buscada, and Leah C. Johnson of Lincoln Centerhnson of Lincoln Center.

Finding Relevancy for Today’s Facades in Heritage Case Studies

The Façade Tectonics Institute recently published “A Break From The Past: How the Guggenheim Renovation Made Thermally Broken Steel Windows a New Normal” in the March 2024 issue (#138) of its SKINS newsletter.

The article, written by AYON Studio Principal Angel Ayón, begins with a mid-century Modern context, comparing Frank Lloyd Wright’s façade design intentions for the 1959 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City with the existing conditions found a half-century later in this landmarked building. The unprecedented, bespoke façade replacement solutions devised by the preservation team (for which Angel was the Project Architect, prior to founding AYON Studio), provided optimum performance, while maintaining preservation appropriateness. Although not commercially available at that time, more than 15 years later, the replacement glazing assembly market has been revolutionized, now offering new products and new technologies, as well as the invigoration of old ones. It all started with the interventions at the Guggenheim – which installed the first thermally-broken steel-frame window wall system in North America.

Be sure to read Angel’s entire article, as well as others, in the full March SKINS issue entitled  “Exploring Heritage: Building on the Past,” which examines the historical context in connection with today’s climate crisis, and was curated by guest editors from the Association of Preservation Technology’s (APT) Technical Committee on Modern Heritage (TC-MH), in collaboration with their Technical Committee on Sustainable Preservation (TC-SP).

Mic Patterson, FTI’s Ambassador of Innovation & Collaboration, who penned the issue’s foreword, highlighted Angel’s expertise and that of his preservation community colleagues, which “has profound relevance for the entire building industry and particularly for the design of new buildings and their façade systems, as well as the façade interventions that are a critical component of existing building renovations.”

Educating the next generation on activism in architecture

What does it really mean to be a values-based designer? Today’s architects in training are learning much earlier than those of previous generations that they can have a wider impact in their communities, beyond typical project opportunities. Principal Angel Ayón’s guest lecture at Yale University School of Architecture on February 21, 2024, entitled “Citizen Architect: Preservation Advocacy as Professional Practice,” gave students there a unique personal perspective on this topic. He delved into his architectural schooling and early professional life in Havana, Cuba, through his experience coming to the United States to continue his education and career in Washington, D.C. and New York City, and in running his own architecture firm today.

More importantly, the presentation led the students in great detail through the inception, political challenges, and ultimate success of his 20-year-long neighborhood advocacy campaign to save the 1857 Mount Morris Fire Watchtower, located in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park. This designated NYC landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the last of its kind and one of the oldest standalone cast-iron structures in an urban context. As a result of Angel’s preservation advocacy, the rehabilitated tower, completed in 2019, received numerous prestigious awards.

Angel’s presentation, part of the School’s “Historic Preservation in the 21st Century” seminar taught by Norma Barbacci, was delivered in Rudolph Hall, the famed Brutalist building that houses the School of Architecture.

Celebrating the opening of the renovated Brooklyn Museum Education Center

On January 27th, the Brooklyn Museum opened its new Toby Devan Lewis Education Center to a host of donors, dignitaries, and those most welcome—neighborhood families and their children!

 The brightly colored, kid-friendly space is brightly lit as well, due to AYON Studio’s efforts in replacing a large portion of the rear curtain wall of this national and NYC Landmark. Although the main museum building is a Beaux-Arts McKim, Mead & White masterpiece dating back to the late 19th century, the existing curtain wall was a stark Brutalist-style façade comprised primarily of windowless precast concrete panels, leaving the prior interior environment dark and dreary, with the only natural light coming through minimal skylights.

 To bring significantly more daylight into the new Education Center, AYON Studio designed a glass and metal-panel curtain wall that fits seamlessly with the remaining portions of the existing wall. We carefully coordinated this exterior work to achieve necessary approvals from the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) at Public Hearing, down to the custom paint color of the metal panels. Because of our vast experience working closely with LPC, we were able to obtain their approval and successfully guide the project through completion.

 Another unique challenge for this façade replacement was to ensure wild bird protection, now mandated by the NYC Building Code, in compliance with Local Law 15 of 2020. Using a dot pattern on the glass that prevents birds from flying into the glass was especially critical given the Museum’s location, directly across the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Prospect Park, which is home to 292 species of birds.

Hablando del Hotel Roosevelt en Telemundo

Talking about the Roosevelt Hotel on Telemundo

Often tapped for his knowledge of local historical buildings, Principal Angel Ayón was recently interviewed by Spanish language television station Noticias Telemundo in their report on the Roosevelt Hotel, which aired January 5, 2024.

As Angel explains in the news segment, The Roosevelt Hotel — which lies mere steps from another storied NYC building, Grand Central Terminal — has been a glamorous icon since its opening in 1924. Currently compared to Ellis Island, the building is being used by the City of New York as an intake center for the many thousands of migrants who arrive daily in the US via its southern border. Its grand lobby chandelier, which once illuminated international dignitaries and politicians, now serves as a beacon of hope for South Americans and other immigrants seeking a new life for themselves in the US.

The luxury hotel operator shuttered the building’s doors during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but they’ve now been reopened, ushering in over 85,000 people who have arrived in NYC in recent months. Once a lavish party palace, The Roosevelt Hotel now offers services such as documentation assistance and medical checkups, and acts as a storage and distribution facility for clothing, diapers, milk, and other basic necessities for the migrants and their children.

According to the Telemundo report, the migrant crisis has already cost the city over $200 million. However, as the report highlights, those arriving aren’t looking for handouts, but are rather coming with a “dream to work and aspire to bring their families” here, much like similar arrivals from the European continent did 100 years ago, when the hotel was built.

You can access the full report on the Noticias Telemundo website.

Making a cameo appearance at APTi's annual conference

The Association for Preservation Technology (APT)’s Annual Conference, entitled “The Future of TECH: Technology, Environment, Cultural Heritage,” took place in Seattle earlier this month.

During the meeting, Reglazing Modernism ― Intervention Strategies for 20th Century Icons appeared in the APT communications committee presentation. The book, co-authored by AYON Studio Principal Angel Ayón, won the the 2021 Lee Nelson Book Award from APT and was featured in the committee’s promotion of the forthcoming 2024 award cycle.

Conferred only every three years, the Lee Nelson Award was initially established by APT in 2000 to recognize outstanding and influential books in the field of preservation technology. It is a tribute to the late Lee Nelson (1927-1994), an outstanding preservationist, APT founder, and long-time editor of the APT Bulletin.

Participating in New York Climate Week talks at the Guggenheim

On September 20th, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, one of NYC's two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, convened a group of leaders from across the built environment, including AYON Studio Principal Angel Ayón, to openly discuss potential conservation solutions for the Museum in the face of a changing climate.

The iconic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building, like many cultural heritage sites, continues to be threatened by extreme weather events. This select, interdisciplinary group of experts identified that sustainability and climate resilience in heritage conservation is hindered by a lack of standardization, financial uncertainties, and the diverse needs of different heritage sites. They also discussed how innovators are devising ingenious solutions to preserving cultural heritage in the built environment, with implications for the Museum's future as both a landmark and as a key custodian of cultural heritage.

Angel’s research and technical expertise was instrumental in the award-winning 2009 rehabilitation of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, one of the most recognizable buildings in the world and a National Historic Landmark. This initial building enhancement involved exterior façade repairs, MEP systems upgrades, and window and skylight replacements. Later, from 2013-2015, AYON Studio provided preservation planning for the rotunda skylight, as well as additional glazing and doors. These projects at the Museum had significant influence on Angel’s later work and served as inspiration and subject matter for his 2019 book, Reglazing Modernism ― Intervention Strategies for 20th Century Icons.

Joining NYC Mayor Eric Adams in Rosh Hashanah celebration at Tribeca Synagogue

The first night of Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the Jewish New Year and the High Holiday season. Last Friday, Principal Angel Ayón was honored to join one of our newest clients, Tribeca Synagogue, in its annual celebration, which featured New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Angel met the Mayor face-to-face after the ceremony and his address to the congregation.

AYON Studio is currently working with the congregation to assess their iconic building’s skylight and plaza and identify causes of water infiltration. As part of our thorough approach, we are also providing recommendations for required repair work.

Centrally located in Lower Manhattan, Tribeca Synagogue was built in 1967 and features a sinuous outline, an abstract reference to the eternal flame. Curving “like a grand piano soundboard” (New York Times, 2015), this convex façade flips to a concave shape on the interior, which conveys intimacy and creates an ideal acoustical environment. This eliminates any need for electrical amplification, while the large skylight above (aforementioned as a possible source of the current leaks), brings natural light deep into the sanctuary. Small but quietly beautiful, the mid-block edifice often attracts casual admirers, as well as fans of mid-century Modern architecture.

Training GSA employees and APT members about glazing upgrades

The US federal government owns and operates many mid-century modern buildings that are now, decades later, seeing their share of wear-and-tear. Meanwhile, occupants and users of these buildings are requiring both improved comfort and increased energy savings. These issues were specifically addressed in “Glazing Upgrades in Modernist Buildings,” Principal Angel Ayón’s September 13th presentation to a joint audience for the General Services Administration (GSA), which will also be presented to members of the Association for Preservation Technology (APT) in 2024.

Tailored to the series “Sustainable Repair and Retrofit of Historic Building Envelopes: Diagnosis, Options Analysis & Post Construction Evaluation,” Angel’s virtual presentation guided attendees through the process of repair and replacement of steel-framed glazing systems, conducted at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum from 2004 – 2008. This intervention was honored with numerous awards, and was published in the APT Bulletin in 2011, as well as the award-winning Reglazing Modernism ― Intervention Strategies For 20th Century Icons, published in 2019, co-authored by Angel.

Learning objectives for the class addressed overall approach, alterations of historic elements, analysis of existing building envelopes, testing, new advances in glass reflectivity and light transmittance, and envelope improvements prior to re-engineering of mechanical systems. Angel capped off his presentation with a “wishlist” of sorts to the glass and fenestration industry, which included high performance films, thermal insulating coatings, heated glass, historic glass manufacturing, warm edge technology, vacuum insulating glazing, heat tracing, and new thermal break materials and technologies.

Commemorating the planning of the 1963 March on Washington in Harlem

Last month marked 60 years since The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (The March), a historic protest gathering on The Mall in front of the Lincoln Memorial and attended by over 250,000 people. Held on August 28, 1963, it is famous for Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream" speech calling for an end to racism.

Viewed as a way advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans, grassroots organizers of The March gathered in nondescript places, such as church basements and community rooms. One such place was the Harlem headquarters, located at 170 West 130th Street, which now has its own Harlem Heritage Marker.

Friendship Baptist Church loaned The March’s organizers space in the building, which also served girls at the turn of the 20th century as the Sojourner Truth House, offered art classes to Renaissance students like Jacob Lawrence as the Utopia House, and later provided a safe space for church friends to collaborate as the Friendship House.

Principal Angel and his family attended the unveiling of the plaque on August 28, 2023, as part of his advocacy work with Save Harlem Now!, which helped achieve Landmark status for the Historic District the building and the Historic District that surrounds it. NYC Mayor Eric Adams was among the dignitaries at the event, which was broadcast and covered on CBS New York, NBC New York, and YouTube. In the words of the Mayor “the grandest of ideas do not take place in the grandest of places. It takes place in the basements, in the hall, and small church environments [like this building]. That's how it's done.”

Sharing our conservation expertise with the Getty’s mid-career students

Just as in architectural design, the fields of architectural preservation and conservation continue to evolve along with building technology. What may have been the best intervention methods or materials two decades ago may now be obsolete. That’s why the Getty Conservation Institute offers an International Course on the Conservation of Modern Heritage for mid-career architects, planners, engineers, conservators, policymakers, and advocates from around the world.

The course aims to advance the conservation of modern heritage and architecture by teaching participants about recent advancements in research and practice. This hybrid learning opportunity kicked off in May and just finished up this month. Students learned from a variety of seasoned professionals, including AYON Studio Principal Angel Ayón and his Reglazing Modernism co-author Uta Pottgeisser, who shared their knowledge of interventions on both modern steel-frame and aluminum-frame glazed enclosures. Much of the research they discussed was collected for their 2019 publication Reglazing Modernism ― Intervention Strategies for 20th Century Icons, which won the 2021 Lee Nelson Book Award from the Association for Preservation Technology International.

The 26 participants were exposed to a broad range of contemporary issues that professionals face in the conservation of modern heritage, from theoretical and methodological issues to the technical aspects of materials conservation. The course also provided a platform for both students and instructors to share experiences, challenges, and other thoughts surrounding the practice.

Talking about preservation on the “Tangible Remnants” podcast

AYON Studio Principal Angel Ayón recently joined “Tangible Remnants” podcast host Nakita Reed in a conversation about his journey into and within the historic preservation profession. In Episode 37, Angel discusses his young professional life in Cuba, his continued education and professional career in New York, the power of mentorship, and the future of his firm.

Established professionals, peers, and students alike will delight in hearing firsthand of Angel’s triumphs, as well as his challenges. Highlights include his transition from his native Havana, Cuba, to the US; and his detailed preservation work on the building enclosure and glazing systems at the iconic Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, which inspired Reglazing Modernism ― Intervention Strategies for 20th Century Icons (Birkhäuser, 2019).

He also shares his early-career meeting with James Marston Fitch, and his good fortune of later winning the mid-career fellowship in his name, which helped fund the development of Reglazing Modernism. The resulting publication, co-authored with Uta Pottgiesser, won the 2021 Lee Nelson Book Award from the Association for Preservation Technology International (APT) for the most outstanding and influential book-length work on preservation technology. Going full circle, Angel now serves on the James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation.

Throughout Angel’s conversation with Nakita, you’ll hear how he learned the values of relationships, maintaining historic integrity, and doing the right thing. Take a listen here!

Nakita Reed, like Angel, is also a sustainable preservation architect. Her “Tangible Remnants” podcast explores the interconnectedness of architecture, preservation, sustainability, race and gender. On it, she invites BIPOC practitioners (like Angel) and other women who are impacting the built environment today to join her in discussing the people, buildings, and policies that made a historical impact. It’s geared towards lovers of existing buildings who want to learn from the past to shape a better future.

Celebrating Juneteenth!

Wishing everyone a safe, celebratory and reflective Juneteenth!

Honoring Grassroots Preservation with HDC

On June 13th, the Historic Districts Council celebrated New York’s brightest community preservationists at their Annual Grassroots Preservation Awards, held at Saint Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery. Angel Ayón, principal of AYON Studio, was honored to present Justice for 441 Willoughby with one such award.

A resident of Brooklyn and a frequent passerby of 441 Willoughby, also known as the Jacob Dangler Mansion, Angel shared a personal account of the historic building’s impression on him and also told of the group’s advocacy that “rallied the community, the local elected officials, and preservationists across the city.” Their extraordinary efforts were effective but ultimately thwarted by the developer, who was able to activate permits and demolish the 125-year-old BedStuy building last summer.

Angel also recognized the group’s ongoing fight for the site and demands for accountability and LPC historic district designation of the immediately surrounding blocks. “The coalition remains an inspiration to the preservation community for their continued vigilance… Justice for 441 Willoughby cares about a place that makes their neighborhood unique, a place that afforded their neighborhood with a distinctive sense of place. Their cries for justice and long-overdue preservation protections hit a roadblock fueled by bureaucratic non-sense and government inaction. It is impossible not to recall Dr. King reminding us that ‘Justice delayed is justice denied.’

Other 2023 Grassroots awardees included Eric K. Washington and the Manhattan Community Board Five Land Use, Housing and Zoning Committee. The event also honored The Village Sun and City Council Member Christopher Marte.

Annual Pratt Lecture: Cultural Adaptive Reuse

What happens to historic churches and theaters when their congregations and audiences dwindle? Unfortunately, many often fall into disuse and disrepair. Rather than tear them down, though, property owners are now turning to adaptive reuse as a way to make them viable for a new generation. To learn more about the exciting new uses these cultural buildings offer, Pratt Institute’s Historic Preservation program tapped AYON Studio to present their project experience and research.

For the second year in a row, Sanika Kulkarni and Angel Ayón shared numerous case studies of cultural building reuse with master’s candidates studying historic preservation, facilities management, planning, and architecture. They showed churches (such as St. Paul’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church) that have been converted into everything from hotels and restaurants to tattoo parlors and skate parks. They also highlighted theaters (like Times Square Theater, Flushing RKO Keith’s, the Nitehawk, and Theater 80) that have been turned into residences, retail stores, gyms and sports arenas, and parking garages.

Not only is adaptive reuse more sustainable, it also helps preserve the unique architectural fabric that makes America’s cities and towns fun places to live in and visit. And although it is challenging, finding ways to creatively adapt these structures for modern uses also provides new opportunities to ever-evolving communities.

Angel Ayón participates in NY State minority Legislative Caucus Weekend

NYC’s affordable housing crisis is currently a high-profile issue in Albany, due in part to a critical agenda from State Senator Cordell Cleare. Cleare represents District 30, which includes most of Harlem and Upper Manhattan, as well as a portion of the Upper West Side. She recently invited AYON Studio Principal Angel Ayón to speak on the topic during New York State’s Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus Legislative Weekend.  

Angel joined fellow panelists Valerie J. Bradley of Save Harlem Now! and Donald C. Notice of West Harlem Group Assistance to explore “Providing Affordable Housing for Harlem Through Preservation & New Strategies to Preserve our Homes & Culture.” The group discussed how the combined efforts of legislative action, the renewal of existing building stock, and community advocacy and activism can help meet the housing needs in Manhattan’s northern neighborhoods.

Sharing our FISP expertise in ICRI-MNY’s annual panel discussion

Principal Angel Ayón participated in The International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI)’s Annual FISP Panel in NYC on January 26th. Under the topic of “How to Balance the Competing Client Needs and DOB Requirements: Lessons Learned, Ethics, and Client Requests,” the interactive program, held at Club 101, addressed issues that can arise when performing FISP inspections and issuing reports.

Certified as an inspector (QEWI) by the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) and an expert on the DOB’s Façade Inspection & Safety Program (FISP), Angel offered valuable insights from his vast professional experience. He and his fellow panelists spoke openly about the complex relationship between client expectations, professional responsibilities, and DOB regulations, covering such topics as repair timelines, shed removal requests, report submissions, violation fees, and professional responsibility and limitations.

Angel was joined by fellow panelists John Foley of FirstService, Andrew Houston of NYC Facade Architecture, Matthew Mowrer of O'Donnell & Naccarato, Clyde Porter of Clyde Porter Consulting Engineers, and Moderator Michelle Dallhoff of WJE Engineers & Architects.

Devoted solely to repair and restoration of concrete, masonry, and other structures, ICRI brings together engineers, architects, consultants, contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, property managers and owners. The organization regularly provides educational presentations and seminars to share knowledge and resources among its membership for the betterment of the industry.

Angel Ayón co-presents at 2022 MASterworks!

Event photographs © Genevieve Wagner, Municipal Art Society

On December 6, the Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) hosted its 2022 MASterworks Award Breakfast Ceremony at the Center for Architecture in New York City. AYON Studio principal and founder Angel Ayón presented the awards, along with emcee Elizabeth Goldstein, President of MAS, and co-jurists Tina Vaz, MAS Board Member and Head of Meta Open Arts and Debbie Millman, Host of Design Matters.

Established in 2001, the MASterworks Awards honor projects that make a significant contribution to New York City’s built environment, those that “exemplify excellence in architecture and urban design, as well as the creative spirit of New York City.” This year’s awardees were:

• Best Restoration: Brooklyn Public Library Central Library Master Plan: Phase 1 by Toshiko Mori Architect

• Best New Urban Amenity: Fountain of the Fairs Mist Garden by Quennell Rothschild & Partners

• Best New Infrastructure Moynihan Train Hall by Empire State Development

• Best Adaptive Reuse: Adams Street Library, by WORKac

• Best Urban Landscape: Little Island by MNLA

• Best New Building: Northeast Bronx YMCA by Marvel Architects

Goldstein said that the awardees “represented an exciting new addition or substantial improvement to our city’s built environment,” and that “the teams who helped realize them have done a great service to New York City.” Winning projects were also honored with in-person explorations of project sites and virtual conversations with project teams. Additional jurists not present at the ceremony included Pascale Sablan of Adjaye Associates and Sara Zewde of Studio Zewde.

Lori Arnold, PhD joins AYON Studio!

Lori performing stone documentation at one of AYON Studio’s historic church projects in Brooklyn

We’re thrilled to bring experienced preservation specialist, teacher, and author Lori Arnold, PhD on board to help guide many projects in our growing firm! With 23 years of professional experience in a range of roles, from Conservator to Construction Manager, she offers comprehensive knowledge of building materials properties and behaviors. She knows the industry inside and out and has garnered key insights that help identify potential project issues and proactively resolve them.

Lori earned her art history degree from Keene State College, followed by a Master of Science from Columbia University, and has worked on cultural, educational and transportation projects throughout her career.

She will also be our second published author at the firm, in addition to founder and Principal Angel Ayón. Lori’s full-length textbook entitled Saving Historic American Wood, will be released later this fall. The first of its kind, the textbook outlines the basic issues that historic wood faces in North America. Written for conservation students, master carpenters and those teaching wood conservation, the illustrated book guides readers in how to identify causes of deterioration — such as insects or fungi — and offers various remedies to combat the issues.

Save Harlem Now! Conference Spurs Preservation Efforts

Event photographs © Akinfe Fatou, courtesy of Save Harlem Now!

Supporting our interests close to home, AYON Studio was honored to participate in the Save Harlem Now! 2022 Preservation Conference on November 3rd. Sponsored by the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice, the full-day symposium gathered preservationists, activists, and thinkers around a central theme of “Saving This Place! A Call to Action for Preserving Harlem.”

Held in the Nelson Mandela Room at the Ford Foundation in midtown, the program brought together a wide array of speakers who shared both the challenges and triumphs of their grass roots advocacy to preserve the cultural and architectural legacy of Harlem. These efforts have included awareness-building events such as educational opportunities and knowledge sharing in the form of lectures, dramatic presentations, author-interview series, oral histories and documentaries, and panel discussions; as well as cultural events such as music festivals and exhibitions. They also discussed economic development models and how to overcome barriers such as survivorship bias, underrepresented narratives, and climate-related issues to promote greater social justice in the neighborhood.

Currently serving as SNH Board Vice President, Angel Ayón moderated an afternoon session entitled “The Intervention: Finding a Way Forward.” Exploring various approaches for increasing designations in Harlem, the panel discussed best practices for historic preservation and examined other cities’ efforts to support historic preservation in African American communities. Panelists included Erica Avrami, Assistant Professor of Historic Preservation at Columbia University; Karen Taylor, Founder and Executive Director, While We Are Still Here; Mtamanika Youngblood, Chair Emeritus and Founding Board Chair, Sweet Auburn Works.