Historic Resources

AIA Brooklyn Formed Historic Resources Committee with Jeffrey Jacobson as Chair!

Hello, I am Jeffrey Jacobson, Associate AIA. I am chairing the newly formed Historic Resources Committee in the AIA Brooklyn Chapter dealing with historic resources within Brooklyn. Look for Historic Resources Committee in the ABOUT page of the aiabrooklyn.org website.

My interest in historic preservation started right after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in the mid-1970’s which was also the height of the Post Modernist Movement. The Movement drew my attention to architecture history and historic preservation which I went on to study at the University of Virginia. I now work for the NY City Department of Housing, Preservation, and Development where I have been for the past 30 years. Besides being an AIA Brooklyn member, I am a member of several organizations such as The Park Slope Civic Council, CB 6: Land-Use and Historic Preservation Committee, Brooklyn Historical Society, The New York Preservation League, The New York Historic Districts Council, The New York Landmarks Conservancy, The Association for Preservation Technology, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, and The Society of Architectural Historians always with an eye to historic preservation.

We will mostly focus on Brooklyn’s individual Historic Landmarked buildings as designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), Brooklyn historic districts also as designated by the LPC, and on the AIA Brooklyn Archives. Brooklyn has a very rich and diverse history. It contains 41 Historic Districts and Brooklyn Heights specifically, was the first Historic District designated by the LPC in all of the five boroughs. So, there is a lot to research and document.

Other educational events we would like to offer are discussion panels that would address such arts as masonry restoration, materials preservation, design of interiors in town houses located in historic districts, etc. These panels would be led by historic preservation specialists in their fields.

The vision for the Historic Resources Committee is quite grand and will need on-going work over many years to come to fruition. Join us in sharing your passion for Historic Preservation, research, and help create a new Library that will be a rich resource for fellow architects and others in the industry.