ABSTRACT
“To the Barricades: This seems to be the season for tearing down buildings. New York—which has been destroying and reconstructing itself at a rate unheard of even for this most changeable of cities—has now achieved a record in architectural inconstancy.” With these words, Harper’s magazine ushered in 1955. Confronting these same sobering realities, the sentiments of architect and Municipal Art Society president, L. Bancel LaFarge, were only slightly more encouraging: “While there appears that no constitutional legislation can be devised to preserve our privately owned architectural masterpieces, there still remains the great force of public opinion.” Unrecognized by both Harper’s and LaFarge was a blessing that had quietly been bestowed on America’s municipalities during the 1954 Thanksgiving season by the United States Supreme Court. It would become a beacon of hope in the darkness of the mid-fifties and offer the vision of brighter days ahead for historic preservation. 1
