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Oral History Interview with David Kahn, October 14, 2015

Scope and Contents

As Director of the Brooklyn Historical Society from 1982 to 1997, David M. Kahn (1950- ) helped lead the institution through one of its most transformative periods. In this interview he describes the state of the Long Island Historical Society's collections and building when he arrived, the conflict among members of the Board of Trustees over the name change to Brooklyn Historical Society, and the fundraising necessary to develop programs and exhibitions that would revitalize the institution and its mission. He describes Don Othmer's involvement with the BHS and the large gift he left in his will. Kahn reflects on the leading role of BHS in documenting and preserving local urban history and recalls details of planning several exhibitions, including one about AIDS in Brooklyn (1992) and another about Crown Heights (1993). Early in the interview, he recalls his activism in the gay rights movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Interview conducted by Zaheer Ali.

Biographical / Historical

David M. Kahn (1950- ) was born in Rockville Center, Long Island, and grew up in Manhattan, where his father worked in advertising. Kahn attended high school at Blair Academy in New Jersey and then earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Art History at Columbia University. He began a Ph.D. program in Art History at Harvard University but left and began working for the National Parks Service in New York City, as curator of historic sites. He was Executive Director of the Brooklyn Historical Society from 1982 to 1997. After that he was director at several historical museums, including the San Diego History Center and the Adirondack Museum. He lives in Blue Mountain Lake, New York.

Conditions Governing Access

This interview can be accessed onsite at Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online at the Oral History Portal.

Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201