President’s Letter: November 2025
As we approach the end of the year, I am excited to share progress on our Enduring Culture Initiative (ECI). MAS has taken a significant step forward through new partnerships with seven community organizations dedicated to preserving cultural heritage in neighborhoods across New York City—from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to the South Bronx. These partners are receiving grants, technical assistance, and promotional support to bolster their ongoing efforts.
MAS Community partners are reclaiming overlooked public spaces through cultural programs including stoop dinners and sensory mapping, building infrastructure for preserving queer nightlife through mentorship, archiving, and policy advocacy, and engaging residents in bilingual storytelling and mapping efforts to train “Legacy Stewards” to lead future planning. You can read more about all seven partners here.
At the core of the Enduring Culture Initiative is a vision to broaden our collective understanding of preservation and protect cultural heritage in place beyond safeguarding historic buildings. How can we recognize the unique cultural assets of a neighborhood that are deeply tied to social fabric and community identity yet often lack formal protection?
City agencies—including the Small Business Services, Economic Development Corporation, and Department of City Planning—have a vital role in answering this question. By integrating cultural heritage goals into their planning and development efforts, they can help ensure community anchors thrive, even as neighborhoods change due to rezonings or major civic projects. MAS is committed to collaborating with government agencies to enhance public education, combat displacement, and protect the irreplaceable fabric of NYC’s neighborhoods.
Expanding recognition and support of unique cultural assets will help create a more equitable and vibrant city—celebrating the full diversity of New York City’s cultural landscape and building resilience for our communities. The new tools and approaches MAS helps to engender will broaden our understanding of both tangible and intangible culture—documenting history, amplifying neighborhood voices, and shaping policies that honor and protect our city’s invaluable community institutions.
Together, we can safeguard the vibrancy of New York City for generations to come.
Enduring Culture, a multivocal historic preservation vision for New York City