On November 3, 2021, The New York Landmarks Conservancy will host its 28th Living Landmarks Celebration at The Plaza.
This year’s honorees are Marina Kellen French, David R. Jones, Patricia D. Klingenstein, Gilbert C. Maurer, Morton Olshan, and Jonelle Procope. The following previous honorees will also participate Stephen S. Lash as Master of Ceremonies and Gordon J. Davis, Ronnie Heyman, Leni & Peter May, James L. Nederlander, Daryl Roth & Jordan Roth, and Robert E. Wankel as Honorary Co-Chairs for the evening. More than 250 guests are expected to attend this 28th annual tribute.
“We inaugurated the Living Landmarks Celebration to recognize extraordinary New Yorkers who give back so much to the City we love. This year is no exception with another outstanding class of honorees,” said Peg Breen, President of The New York Landmarks Conservancy.
2021 Living Landmarks Honorees
A passionate New Yorker, Marina Kellen French is president of the Marina Kellen French Foundation and vice president of the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation established by her late parents. Through these two organizations she supports a number of the City’s leading cultural, educational, and medical institutions including the New York Philharmonic, The Frick Collection, the Brearley School, Seventh Regiment Armory Conservancy, and the Museum of Contemporary Art to name a few.
Marina is an active board member. Serving as a trustee emerita of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she initiated their Executive Leadership Program with the Columbia Business School permitting Met employees to obtain MBA-level mid-career educations. She is also a trustee of the Hospital for Special Surgery and Carnegie Hall. Marina is a managing director of the Metropolitan Opera and a life trustee of the Morgan Library and Museum and WNET.
Marina was honored with the Iris Award by the Bard Graduate Center in 2019 for her contributions to the study and appreciation of the decorative arts. She also named the Artistic Director position at the Park Avenue Armory which honored her at its Indigo Ball in 2018. She is a graduate of the Brearley School, the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and attended the New York School of Interior Design.
A dedicated public official, engaged citizen, and proud son of Brooklyn, David R. Jones is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Community Service Society of New York (CSS), a nonprofit organization that promotes economic advancement and full civic participation for low-income New Yorkers. David has led CSS since 1986. Previously, he served as Executive Director of the New York City Youth Bureau and as a Special Advisor to Mayor Ed Koch. A highly respected leader on issues of urban poverty and economic advancement, David has served on transition committees for Mayors Bill de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg, and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. He serves on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board, is a member of the Advisory Council of the City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and as a board member of the Scherman Foundation and the Center for Community Change.
David is a former board chair of Type Media Center and Carver Federal Savings, the largest African-American managed bank in the country. He served on the board of Wesleyan University and is now a trustee emeritus. David also served on the board of the New York City Health and Hospitals and was vice chair of the Primary Care Development Corporation. He is a founding member of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and was president of Black Agency Executives. David also served as a board member of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Yale Law School.
A devoted community leader, volunteer, education advocate, fundraiser, and philanthropist, Patricia D. Klingenstein and her family have been generous patrons to a number of New York’s leading cultural, educational, and medical institutions including Teachers College at Columbia University where they established the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership, New Jewish Home, the Metropolitan Opera, the Educational Alliance, the Mental Health Association of New York City, and The Frick Collection to mention a handful.
Patricia is also generous with her time serving as a trustee of The Hastings Center, the New– York Historical Society where she founded the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, and the New York Public Library where she is a life trustee. Patricia is a graduate of the Waynflete School and Smith College.
For more than 40 years, Gilbert C. Maurer has been at the center of growth, change, and creativity at Hearst. He is a member of Hearst’s board of directors, a Trustee of the Will and Trust of William Randolph Hearst and a director of the Hearst Foundations. Gil successfully served for eight years as Hearst’s chief operating officer and prior to that, led Hearst Magazines as its president for 14 years.
Growing up in a family which produced internationally known artists, his interest in the arts and architecture brought him an assignment that has helped change New York City’s skyline—and Hearst. In 1999, he was named by Hearst’s board to lead a committee that would select an architect to construct a new company headquarters. The new Hearst Tower would rise above the original six-story building which was designated a New York City landmark in 1988. The committee selected one of the most celebrated architects in the world: Norman Foster. Hearst Tower, which officially opened in September 2006, won the prestigious International Highrise Award in 2008 and was the first building in New York to receive a Gold LEED–certified rating. In 2012, Hearst Tower earned a Platinum LEED Rating for existing buildings, becoming the first building to receive both Gold and Platinum certifications.
Gil is a vice-chairman of The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach and a director of the Norton Museum of Art, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Gil is a trustee emeritus of the Whitney Museum where he was president of the board from 1993 to 1998. He is also a member of the Dean’s Council at the Yale School of Architecture and a member of the board of managers of the New York Botanical Garden. He is a former member of the Greater New York Advisory Board of the Salvation Army and a former member of the Board of Visitors to The Harvard Art Museums. Gil is a graduate of St. Lawrence University and the Harvard Business School.
Real estate titan and dedicated New Yorker, Morton Olshan founded Olshan Properties in 1959. Today, the firm manages properties in 11 states with more than 1,000 employees. Mort’s business success has allowed him to be actively involved in a number of civic and social service organizations. He is a trustee emeritus of the Horace Mann School and previously served as a trustee of the New York Urban Coalition, the Community Preservation Corporation, and represented the New York City Comptroller’s Office on the Board of Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mort currently serves as a member of the President’s Council of the New York Public Library and on the board of directors of the New York Yankees.
Among his accomplishments was the conversion of the B. Altman building on Fifth Avenue into a not-for-profit education and research facility. It now houses City University of New York’s Graduate Center, the New York Public Library’s Science, Industry, and Business Library, and Oxford University Press. The building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1985.
Mort generously supports Hunter College, Seeds of Peace, Lincoln Center, the UJA-Federation of New York, the Park Avenue Synagogue, the Museum of Art & Design, and the 92nd Street Y amongst others.
Jonelle Procope joined the Apollo Board of Trustees in 1999 and became its president and CEO in 2003. During this period, she led a successful Apollo Rising Capital Campaign to restore the legendary theater, focused on the development of the Apollo Theater Board of Directors, and attracted and engaged a first-rate executive team and staff ensuring the long-term stability of the organization. The campaign raised more than $50 million in its first two years, $37 million of which was used to restore the theater’s façade, install new seats and a new stage, and upgrade its facilities for the artists.
Jonelle has overseen the Apollo’s transformation into a vibrant not-for-profit performing arts organization. Under her leadership, the Apollo has dramatically increased its base of financial support, expanded its education and community programs, and launched a strategic plan to transform the institution into a 21st century performing arts center through the creation of large-scale artistic initiatives and unique artistic collaborations with an array of prominent cultural organizations including the Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and Culture, Carnegie Hall, and the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
Jonelle still finds time to give back to the community as a trustee of the 125th Street B.I.D., Arthur Ashe Learning Center, Gracie Mansion Conservancy, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York Public Radio, NYC & Company, and the Women’s Forum of New York. She is a graduate of Howard University and St. John’s Law School.
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the gala start at $1,000; tables start at $10,000. Please visit www.nylandmarks.org for more information.
The New York Landmarks Conservancy honors distinguished New Yorkers from all professions as “Living Landmarks” for their contributions to the City.
The Conservancy, a private non-profit organization, has led the effort to preserve and protect New York City’s architectural legacy for nearly 50 years. Since its founding, the Conservancy has loaned and granted more than $54 million, which has leveraged more than $1 billion in 1,850 restoration projects throughout New York, revitalizing communities, providing economic stimulus and supporting local jobs.
The Conservancy has also offered countless hours of pro bono technical advice to building owners, both nonprofit organizations and individuals. The Conservancy’s work has saved more than a thousand buildings across the City and State, protecting New York’s distinctive architectural heritage for residents and visitors alike today, and for future generations. For more information, please visit www.nylandmarks.org.
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