LPC Commissioner Gene A. Norman with former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis testifying in 1984 to protect the New York Landmarks Law.

Alfred Warren Gene Norman, Feb 1935-Sep 2020, was the first, and to date only, African American Chairman of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). Serving under Mayor Edward I. Koch in the 1980s, Norman helped defeat New York State legislation that would have exempted religious institutions from landmarks designation, and oversaw the preservation of St. Bartholomew's Church. During his tenure as chairman, LPC granted landmark designation to the Coty and Rizzoli Buildings on Fifth Avenue; the Ladies Mile shopping area from 15th to 24th Streets, between Park Avenue South and Avenue of the Americas; and the Coney Island Cyclone. Norman was widely praised for his superior skill in navigating New York City's landmarking bureaucracy.

Meet our Honorees:

Lana Turner, Cultural Historian

A. Philip Randolph-Bayard Rustin Lifetime Achievement Award

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Arturo Schomburg Stewardship Award

Joy Bivins, Director, Schomburg Center

Martin Spollen and Chen Jie

Tandy-Foster Architectural Preservation Award

View all last year’s event pictures: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBxBAE