Albert Sprague Bard – Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero

Award-winning preservationist and author Anthony C. Wood in conversation with Donald R. Friary, past president of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts and emeritus director Historic Deerfield 

Please join the New England Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians and the Colonial Society of Massachusetts as author Anthony Wood discusses his book Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero (Bloomsbury, 2025). The book presents the life and work of Albert Sprague Bard (1866-1963), a New York civic champion and previously overlooked figure in American preservation history whose advocacy contributed substantially to the creation of New York City’s 1965 Landmarks Law. The process drew Bard into public combat with Robert Moses, a stark contrast to his private life, which centered around his love for a troubled younger man. Servant of Beauty paints a vivid portrait of this unsung preservation hero’s perseverance, resilience, and complexity. Bard’s advocacy for civic beauty is both instructive and inspiring.

Bard’s advocacy for civic beauty is both instructive and inspiring and serves as a model for a next generation of preservationists preparing to assume leadership roles at a critical time in our nation’s history. 

In person at the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, 87 Mount Vernon Street, Boston MA 02108. Pre-registration required as in-person space is limited.

Live-streamed simultaneously at https://c.themediacdn.com/embed/media/Wbs3hK/n6xOKdusc2d/iHtG0is03uS_5?preview=1

Learn more here.