The Municipal Art Society of New York

MAS applauds the National Trust for Historic Preservation's decision to include the Stonewall National Monument in its 2026 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Places. As the first national park site dedicated to LGBTQ+ history, Stonewall commemorates the Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969, a watershed moment of queer resistance and civil rights in New York City. We’re heartened to see it included on this list of our country’s great treasures. In a moment when queer civil liberties are at risk, our monuments can tell the story of resilience and the power of collective action. Photo credit: Whitney Browne, National Parks Conservation Association

Congratulations to Annabelle Selldorf and Selldorf Architects on winning the Musée du Louvre (Louvre Museum) “Nouvelle Renaissance” competition! The selected firms, chosen from a pool of more than 100 applicants, will design the next phase of the renowned cultural institution's expansion. Slated to be the Louvre’s largest revamp in 35 years, the project features a new exhibition space and a second grand public entrance that will transform the museum’s surrounding plaza into a lush, green gateway. MAS was proud to recognize Annabelle’s contributions to New York City’s built environment with our 2025 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal alongside Elizabeth Diller. This latest milestone further affirms Annabelle’s thoughtful vision, enduring excellence, and profound impact on cultural institutions worldwide. 📸: Annabelle Selldorf; Annabelle Selldorf and Axel Rüger, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Director, @FrickCollection. Credit BFA/Brendon Cook/Danté Crichlow

MAS has long advocated for stronger interagency coordination and reforms to the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) process to improve transparency and effectiveness. We support recent reforms to expand affordable housing for New Yorkers. The Mamdani administration’s Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development (SPEED) report outlines promising ideas to remove barriers that slow affordable-housing projects in public review, but additional timeline details are needed for rollout and funding for proposed new agency staff. That way, the city can ensure streamlined processes will mitigate environmental impacts, protect the health of New Yorkers, and deliver well-designed affordable housing that enhances neighborhoods and improves quality of life.  

MAS has long advocated for stronger interagency coordination and reforms to the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) process to improve transparency and effectiveness. We support recent reforms to expand affordable housing for New Yorkers. The Mamdani administration’s Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development (SPEED) report outlines promising ideas to remove barriers that slow affordable-housing projects in public review, but additional timeline details are needed for rollout and funding for proposed new agency staff. That way, the city can ensure streamlined processes will mitigate environmental impacts, protect the health of New Yorkers, and deliver well-designed affordable housing that enhances neighborhoods and improves quality of life.

Congratulations to MAS alum Lisa Kersavage on her appointment to chair of New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission! Kersavage has advanced the agency’s mission and impact for over a decade, most recently serving as Executive Director since 2019. At MAS, Kersavage led high-profile advocacy campaigns including the proposal to build Moynihan Station, and work on initiatives to promote adaptive reuse to address climate change. We look forward to working with Chair Kersavage to protect the city’s historic resources in a holistic manner, while centering equity and inclusion. 

Last week, MAS hosted Progress and Preservation: Reuse for a Resilient City, a half-day symposium at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center. Practitioners, educators, advocates, and policymakers discussed how the practice of preservation can better support New York City’s housing and climate goals while also sustaining the cultural life and histories that anchor neighborhoods. Thank you to Benjamin Prosky for opening the program and reminding us that preservation is about progress and advancing livability, not just safeguarding historic structures, and to Darren Robertson from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for sharing campus updates on sustainability upgrades and a revisioning of the west side. From City leaders creating conditions for reinvestment, to vanguards in the architecture and engineering industry working on design and financing, we are grateful to our speakers for sharing their insights and expertise on how to move projects toward completion. Conversations throughout the day uplifted a wide range of ideas about the future of preservation in a changing city; thank you to the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for supporting our program and to Mark Ginsberg Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, Frank Ruchala Jr of NYC Department of City Planning, Nathan Gray of New York City Economic Development Corporation, Jennifer Bloom Leone AIA LEED of NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development, Emily Hoffman of NYC Department of Buildings, Matthew Linde of People Restoring Communities, Vlada Kenniff, PhD, DBIA of New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust, Nathaniel Rogers, AIA of Beyer Blinder Belle, and Donald Friedman of Old Structures Engineering. Thank you to our own Rebecca Macklis for moderating. We look forward to building upon these perspectives in our forthcoming preservation agenda as part of our Enduring Culture Initiative. Stay tuned! Learn more about ECI: https://lnkd.in/exm9U3ji] Photo Credit: Cameron Blaylock

Public engagement on the Interborough Express (IBX) design has begun!    Join upcoming workshops to learn more about the project and make your voice heard. More information on the proposal and project timeline here: https://lnkd.in/exa5tAAt

Recently, members of the MAS Board of Directors and the Richard Morris Hunt Patron Program toured the Louis Armstrong House Museum & Archives with Executive Director Regina Bain and architects Sara Caples and Everardo Jefferson. The group explored Armstrong’s historic home and the innovative new visitor center designed by Caples Jefferson Architects PC and learned about the organization’s community outreach and education initiatives.   This tour highlighted two essential parts of the MAS mission: the importance of preserving everyday places, as well as iconic landmarks, and the power of contemporary design to deepen our connection to history. Places like the Louis Armstrong House affirm why we advocate for thoughtful preservation, inclusive storytelling, and neighborhoods that honor the people who shape them.   Richard Morris Hunt Patrons enjoy behind-the-scenes access to some of our city’s historic sites and innovative new spaces. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/guB8esFV Photo credit: Cameron Blaylock   

On Saturday, May 2, Deborah Rojas, RA WEDG Rojas led an incredible Jane’s Walk through Jamaica, Queens in partnership with The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS). The walk brought together participants from across NYC to explore the neighborhood’s layered history, architecture, and ongoing transformation. The walk, titled Second Lives: The Changing Buildings of Jamaica, Queens, focused on how buildings evolve over time, theaters becoming churches, civic institutions turning into cultural spaces, and historic structures being adapted for new uses while still holding traces of their past. We moved through key civic, cultural, and institutional sites that reflect this evolution, including former churches, theaters, a hospital, and a library, each showing how Jamaica continues to shift while retaining its architectural memory. We also highlighted one of the city’s hidden gems, a historic street clock, one of the only few remaining in NYC, and discussed how these smaller urban elements shape identity and place. Many of these buildings still carry visible traces of their past lives, even as they’ve been adapted for new uses today. Just as important were the conversations along the way with participants and residents, which helped ground the walk in lived experience and made the history feel present and real. Thank you to everyone who came out and walked with us. #RojasAP #UrbanPlanning #Architecture #QueensNYC #CommunityDevelopment  #JaneWalks