Albert S. Bard: Civic Advocacy for Historic Preservation

A conversation with Author Anthony C. Wood and Preservation Chicago's Ward Miller about Albert S. Bard, grandfather of NYC's Landmarks Law Join us for the next installment of the Charnley Conversations lecture series, hosted by the Society of Architectural Historians and the Charnley-Persky House Museum. About the event: Join author Anthony C. Wood and Ward Miller of Preservation Chicago in conversation on Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero, the biography of civic giant Albert S. Bard (1866-1963), the grandfather of NYC’s Landmarks Law. Bard had two passions in life: one for the cause of beauty in the public realm, which would forever change New York City, and one for a younger man, who would forever change Bard. For today’s architectural and preservation activists, Bard’s legacy of serving for decades on the board of multiple civic organizations (twice successfully battling Robert Moses) and leading early national efforts to combat billboard blight is both instructive and inspirational. Persevering against the odds, resilient in the face of disappointment, and a man who though embroiled in an international spy scandal, was still able to pursue his robust civic agenda, Bard is an uncelebrated renaissance man and hero for all who continue his battle to preserve the places they love. Anthony C. Wood is a nationally recognized preservationist, author, historian, and the founder of the New York Preservation Archive Project and the author of Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City’s Landmarks (2008) and Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero Bloomsbury (2025). Wood 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. Ward Miller has led Preservation Chicago as its Executive Director since 2013. Previously, he was a founding board member and served as Board President of Preservation Chicago. From 2003 to 2011, he was the Executive Director of the Richard Nickel Committee. Specializing in the restoration, remodeling, and reuse of historic buildings, Miller worked for 20 years as a project architect and project manager at Vinci-Hamp Architects in Chicago (1983-2003). This event is co-sponsored by The Charnley-Persky House, and The Society of Architectural Historians. Join us for glass of wine, refreshments, and light bites at 5:30 p.m., followed by the presentation, and more conversation afterwards. Proceeds will support the Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation. Since this is a program with limited seating, please cancel your reservation if you are unable to attend. Venue: This lecture takes place at the Charnley-Persky House Museum, a National Historic Landmark building located in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. Designed by famed Chicago architect Louis Sullivan with assistance from his at-the-time junior draftsman Frank Lloyd Wright, the Charnley-Persky House (1891-1892) is recognized as a pivotal work of modern American architecture. We look forward to welcoming you into this unique space for an enlightening talk about preservation. In the meantime, take a virtual tour of the house.