Robert A. M. Stern to speak at Profiles in Preservation Presentation & Cocktail Reception

World acclaimed architect, author and Dean of Yale’s School of Architecture, Robert A. M. Stern will give a talk and presentation on Saturday, October 19th in Bedford, New York.  Part of the Bedford Historical Society’s annual Profiles in Preservation series, this fundraiser benefits the Society’s Education Fund.  Join us for a lively presentation, seasonal cocktails, inspired hors d’oeuvres and an auction filled with unique items and experiences. The event starts at 6:30 on Bedford’s Village Green under a grand tent. To purchase tickets, call (914) 234-9751 or visit our website: www.bedfordhistoricalsociety.org.

Mr. Stern is a practicing architect, teacher and writer, known for high-profile buildings including the record-breaking 15 Central Park West in Manhattan; Comcast Center, the 57-story corporate headquarters tower in Center City Philadelphia; the recently completed George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas; and the recently announced Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Considered a modern traditionalist architect, Mr. Stern has created rich and evocative designs that call on forms from the past to build for the future.  "Every circumstance of daily life—a sunlit corner in a courtyard, a glimpse of nature in a dense urban setting—has within it a magic capable of transforming mere buildings into place-making," says Mr. Stern. "Our job as architects is to bring forth this magic, to create settings for ordinary events and moments of revelation that are essential to lives well lived."

Lynn Ryan, Executive Director of the Bedford Historical Society, has great admiration for Mr. Stern’s American building tradition. “Mr. Stern has said that he ‘honors the past without neglecting the future,’ and I believe that is exactly what the Historical Society does for Bedford,” she said. “We preserve historic buildings but not just as monuments to our past.  We have assured their sustainability by adapting their use as the Library, the Post Office, our museums and retail establishments, all of which contribute to the vitality of Bedford Village,” she added.  "Because our tradition of preservation began early in the 20th century, Bedford today is a unique example of a place that retains its character, reflects its heritage, and is a physical embodiment of our history and our commitment to our past, present and future."

Prior to his position as Dean of the Yale School of Architecture, Mr. Stern was Professor of Architecture and Director of the Historic Preservation Program at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP) at Columbia University. Mr. Stern served from 1984 to 1988 as the first director of Columbia’s Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture.  He has lectured extensively in the United States and abroad on both historical and contemporary topics in architecture. He has been recognized with many of the profession's top honors, including the Driehaus Prize, the Board of Directors' Honor from the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, the Athena Award from the Congress of the New Urbanism, and the National Building Museum's Vincent Scully Prize.

Stacy Albanese, President of the Historical Society’s Board of Directors, recalls “Mr. Stern’s great eloquence and prodigious knowledge of architecture had a profound effect on me; he is a preeminent orator of American architecture and architectural history.”

In addition to recognizing Mr. Stern’s work at this year’s Profiles in Preservation event, the Historical Society is also introducing the book that accompanies their new Walking Tour of Historic Bedford Village. The map for the Walking Tour was introduced last year and includes 42 properties within walking distance of the Village Green.  The book supplements the map with histories of each of the buildings along with then and now photographs from our archives.   “Both Mr. Stern and the Historical Society honor history through their work and this event seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce our new book,” Ms. Ryan noted. "Lloyd Bedford Cox, Inc. generously provided underwriting to publish these books and maps which will be available for sale at the reception and at The Bedford Store at 612 Old Post Road in the Village," she added.

You can learn more about the event which will benefit the Historical Society's Education Fund by visiting the Historical Society’s website: www.bedfordhistoricalsociety.org or by calling  (914) 234-9751. You can also purchase tickets online or over the phone.