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HSoftheNYCourts PodcastAuthor: Historical Society of the NY Courts
The Historical Society of the New York Courts Podcast series shines a light on New Yorks legal history through the perspective of the States courts. Language: en Genres: History Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Bard's Acts: Pondering New York's "Grandfather of Landmarks" — Podcast #30
Episode 30
Wednesday, 4 March, 2026
At his death, the 96 year-old Albert Sprague Bard had occupied the landmarked Broad Exchange Building for six decades after becoming the structure's very first tenant. Within those hallowed walls, Bard hatched statewide legislation known as the "Bard Act" which gave New York's communities the legal right to regulate aesthetics — and crucially, protect historic buildings and neighborhoods through New York City's Landmarks Law. In this special episode of Wrecking Ball, author and historian Anthony C. Wood rejoins host Adrian Untermyer to discuss the ever-persistent and oft-eccentric Bard as portrayed in Wood's new biography, Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero. Complete with joyful asides about everything from Robert Moses to Cold War spycraft to obscure railroad corporate lore, this episode is a must-listen for anyone who ever wondered how New Yorkers built a modern city that also managed to include its past.
