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.