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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
For Immediate Release September 12, 2005
2005/858
Press Review

U.S. Department of State to Announce Launch of "The Landmarks of New York" Exhibition Tour to 40 Countries Worldwide

Media representatives are invited to preview an exhibition of photographs and texts depicting 81 of the most outstanding landmark buildings of New York City, which the U.S. Department of State will present in 40 countries worldwide beginning in January 2006. The preview of “The Landmarks of New York” will be hosted by The Octagon Museum of the American Architectural Foundation at American Institute of Architects Headquarters Gallery (1735 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC) on Thursday, September 15, 2005, at 9:30 a.m.

Alina Romanowski, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Professional and Cultural Exchanges, will lead the event, joined by host Ron Bogle, CEO and President, American Architectural Foundation, and Member of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. The featured speaker will be the prominent art and architectural historian Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, who serves as chair of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center as well as curator for the exhibition. The author of 19 books and wife of the former U.S. Ambassador to the Slovak Republic, Diamonstein-Spielvogel served on the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission for 17 years, was the first Director of Cultural Affairs of New York City and the first woman elected Vice-Chair of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Her 628-page definitive history, Landmarks of New York: An Illustrated Record of the City’s Historic Buildings, accompanies the exhibition.

Created by the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the passage of the New York City Landmarks Law, the exhibition highlights the interest of New Yorkers in preserving their heritage and chronicles the impact of the city’s architecture and preservation on the rest of the nation. Included are examples of public housing, immigration centers, hospitals, churches and train stations.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, in cooperation with the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center, is proud to send the exhibition to more than 40 cities in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Eurasia, Europe, the Pacific, the Middle and Near East, and Central and South America. Through this initiative, U.S. embassies around the world will have the opportunity to highlight key public diplomacy themes, including cultural preservation and heritage, commitment to democratic institutions, and an appreciation of local history and culture, in order to encourage citizens of other countries to celebrate their own history and preserve their built environment. The international tour of The Landmarks of New York is assisted by generous support from the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, New York, to the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center.

To arrange coverage, please contact Catherine Stearns at (202) 203-5107 or stearnscl@state.gov.

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