“What Now?” – Panelists Ponder Preservation and the Press in the New Administration

By Phyllis Eckhaus

Blame Donald Trump.

If your favorite major media outlet isn’t reporting New York City historic preservation news as often as you’d like, one reason might be the constantly breaking national news stories that “bigfoot” local coverage off the page.

That was one of the dilemmas discussed on January 14 by seasoned New York City journalists at “What Now? Preservation, Policy, and the Press in the New Administration,” a panel sponsored by the Historic Districts Council (HDC), the citywide historic preservation advocacy group.

What’s the solution? Christopher Bonanos, the city editor of New York Magazine, said he tries to secure public attention and column inches via compelling anecdotes and scenes. He also reminded the audience that eventually “things will change,” that we have “midterm and presidential elections coming” and that one possible future to imagine is a federal government “more supportive of cities in general and housing in particular,” perhaps the “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez presidency.”

Meanwhile, Daniel Jonas Roche, news editor at The Architect’s Newspaper, reported that Donald Trump’s own foray into housing affordability news — his claim that he will seek to bar private equity firms from buying up single family homes — was a feint, dismissed as “not serious” and a “complete distraction” by the head of the National Housing Law Project. Roche noted that Trump has promised to announce a “grand affordability plan” at the 2026 gathering of the corporate elite at Davos, Switzerland, wryly observing “What better place to do that?”

Will Mayor Mamdani support preservation? Moderator Ian Volner, a freelance journalist and HDC advisor, asked panelists to surmise how friendly the new administration might be to historic preservation.

Writer and editor Diana Budds expressed hope, quoting Mamdani at a February mayoral candidate forum as espousing the value of art, “I think the job of city government is to show New Yorkers that art must be integrated with every aspect of life. It cannot be considered something purely separate.” Budds said that she is “encouraged by the fact that he appreciates art,” observing that “architecture is a form of art that all New Yorkers engage with every day,” and suggesting that the beauty of historic buildings is the art most accessible to ordinary New Yorkers, who “don’t have to buy a ticket” to see it. She also noted the mayor’s recent theater ticket give-away, framed as an “art is for everyone” venture.

Roche pointed out that one of Mamdani’s recent appointees, Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Dina Levy, has a lengthy history of working to preserve existing affordable housing stock — including 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, known as the birthplace of hip-hop, where her appointment was announced. City Hall touted her organizing there with helping to “replace a predatory equity investor with a more responsible landlord.”

Bonanos noted that the mayor’s emphasis on constructing new housing could herald the destruction and build-up of low-scale neighborhoods. But he also found reason for optimism, citing Mamdani’s choice of venue for his midnight swearing-in ceremony, the exquisite 1904 City Hall subway station, a Gilded Age relic now defunct. “At the risk of sounding dopey, he likes the nice old city,” Bonanos said, describing that aesthetic choice as “heartening.”

Panelists also speculated that Mamdani’s affordability agenda may dovetail with “industrial districts,” like the adaptive reuse and revitalization of former manufacturing sites.

What preservation policies do they hope Mamdani might adopt?

Bonanos envisioned an activist Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), with the knowledge and clout to halt “demolition by neglect,” the willful destruction of landmarked historic buildings by owners who deliberately fail to maintain them. He imagined an LPC able to intervene, calling out “Hold it! We want to look at this!” when noteworthy buildings are at risk.

Roche spoke to the questions looming over New York City public housing — such as whether the new administration will continue along the path of privatizing public housing in order to capitalize long-delayed repairs. Noting how the city has “dramatically divested” from public housing, “I’d really like to hear more what the plan is,” he said.

Budd offered an array of wishes. She observed what can sometimes be accomplished via public-private partnerships, noting the recent restoration of a famed 80-foot Harlem Renaissance frieze — “Exodus and Dance” by Richmond Barthé — at the Kingsborough Houses, a public housing complex. She wanted city agencies to “staff up” and for the LPC to be granted “laws with teeth.” She also spoke to the need for resources to help homeowners struggling to maintain their historic properties, and pointed to Pennsylvania’s “Whole-Home Repairs Program” as a potential model for helping preserve aging housing stock.

Lastly, she hoped for “getting people in government who care, who are fans of architecture.”

Moderator Volner noted that he and HDC are working on a white paper to help jumpstart Mamdani’s preservation efforts by identifying aging buildings with low income tenants — affordable housing stock that’s at risk if the city does not help preserve it.