Book Sale

Limited time offer!

In "Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City's Landmarks," author and HDC Chair Emeritus Anthony C. Wood chronicles the decades-long fight for the passage of the New York City Landmarks Law. For the holiday season, HDC is proud to offer a limited number of signed first editions. $40 each plus $6 shipping and handling.

All other books are priced at $20 which includes shipping and handling. To purchase, click the button below each title.

Flatbush: The Heart of Brooklyn
Nedda Allbray

Flatbush: The Heart of Brooklyn, is the story of the evolution of Flatbush from a small, seventeenth century Dutch farming community into today's diverse urban center. Along the way Flatbush suffered almost total devastation during the American Revolution, rebuilt after the war into a rich patrician farming village. By the end of the 19th century, the forces of urbanization again brought revolutionary change, turning Flatbush into a quintessential urban place.

Nestled in the shadow of New York City is Richmond Hill, one of the city’s first planned communities. After the Civil War, the village prospered on land where orchards once blossomed and cattle once grazed. The Victorian era saw the construction of Queen Anne–style mansions, and the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883 brought expansion and increased traffic. With its many parks, grassy lawns, and tasteful houses, there is good reason for residents to take pride in their home. Richmond Hill contains more than 200 vintage photographs to illustrate the unique history of the community. The oldest eatery in Queens, the TRIANGLE Hofbrau Restaurant, was the favorite hangout of Mae West, Babe Ruth, and many others. Baseball great Phil Rizzuto was discovered at Richmond Hill High School. The Marx Brothers, author Amelia Edith Barr, and photojournalist Jacob Riis made Richmond Hill their home.

Madison Square: The Park and Its Celebrated Landmarks
Miriam Berman

By the mid-1800's this quiet residential area was becoming the vibrant center of Manhattan, with elegant hotels, restaurants and theaters emerging around the park. It became a home away from home for United States presidents and visiting foreign dignitaries. Author Miriam Berman captures the personality of Madison Square and its environs in stunning archival and contemporary photographs, historic events and memorable anecdotes.

Gotham Restored

Photographer James Rudnick moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1977 and almost immediately began to document two nearby landmarks: the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. As preparations commenced for the centennials of these magnificent structures-in 1983 and 1986-Rudnick was drawn to the restorations, spending countless hours suspended above the bridge's cables or hidden within the statue's wrought-iron armature to record the intricate process of rebuilding and refinishing.

Passion to Preserve: Gay Men as Keepers of Culture
Will Fellows, signed by the author

Will Fellows turns his focus to a theme that emerged from the process of writing his first book, Farm Boys: Lives of Gay Men from the Rural Midwest—the involvement of gay men in historic preservation. Combining information about deceased and living preservationists of buildings, objects, family and community histories, the text recognizes some of the distinctive dimensions of gay male lives beyond sexual orientation. Using interview transcripts and autobiographical writings, Fellows shaped personal narratives of some 30 individuals from throughout the U.S., which are grouped by geographical region to reflect the unique cultural and historical backgrounds in which the individuals have engaged in preservative enterprises.

Cities Back from the Edge
Roberta Brandes Gratz & Norman Mintz

After decades of decline and decay, scores of downtowns in urban America are coming to life once again. Others continue to languish despite massive public investment. In Cities Back from the Edge, acclaimed author Roberta Brandes Gratz teams up with Main Street expert Norman Mintz to tell us why.