Advocating for Preservation and Scenic Beauty: Insights and Inspiration from the Life of an Unknown Civic Champion
Join us for a conversation with award-winning preservationist Anthony Wood about his most recent book, Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero. Wood will be joined by Vermont preservationist Emily Wadhams to explore the remarkable life of civic advocate and preservation champion Albert Sprague Bard.
An early opponent of billboards and a passionate civic activist for the right of cities to protect and preserve their architectural heritage, Bard was the "grandfather" of New York City's Landmarks Law and was an adversary of powerbroker Robert Moses. Bard’s persistence and courage as a preservationist offer enduring lessons in the 21st century for those committed to preserving the communities they love.
Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero will be available for purchase and signing.
Anthony C. Wood is an award-winning preservationist, a historian, and a grantmaker. He is the author of Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City’s Landmarks (Routledge, 2008) and Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero (Bloomsbury, 2025). He has worked for the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Municipal Art Society, The J.M. Kaplan Fund, and is currently the executive director of the Ittleson Foundation. Mr. Wood is the founder and chair emeritus of the New York Preservation Archive Project and past chair of the Preservation League of New York State and Partners for Sacred Places. During his long and distinguished career, he has served as a trustee and advisor of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, been a member of the board of trustees of the Drayton Hall Preservation Trust and is currently chair emeritus of the Historic Districts Council. For over twenty years, he was an adjunct assistant professor of Historic Preservation at Columbia University and is the recipient of the New York Fine Arts Federation’s Bronze Medal, the New York Historic District Council’s Landmarks Lion Award, and the New York Landmarks Conservancy Lucy G. Moses Award for Preservation Leadership.
Photo by Eric Vitale Photography.
Emily Wadhams is a historic preservation professional with an extensive background in public policy, state administration, and private consultancy. Her work emphasizes the practical and environmental benefits of maintaining the built environment. As vice president for public policy at the National Trust for Historic Preservation (2004–2011), she managed the organization’s Sustainability Program. In this role, she advocated for the environmental benefits of reusing and retrofitting older buildings, framing preservation as a key strategy for carbon reduction and resource conservation. She led the Division for Historic Preservation at the State of Vermont as the state historic preservation officer (1998–2003). Emily specialized in the adaptive reuse of historic buildings for affordable housing, demonstrating how existing structures can meet modern social needs while preserving community character. She holds an MS from the University of Vermont’s Historic Preservation Program.