Series III: Civic Activities, 1967-2014, undated
Scope and Contents Note
This series documents Schwartz's participation in civic activities relating to economic equality and historic preservation. He was involved with both professional urban planning organizations and community organizations in his Upper West Side neighborhood. Items include meeting minutes, notes, and agendas; bulletins, announcements, and fliers; news articles; and both internal and external correspondence and proposals.
Historical Note
Series III includes materials from the following organizations:
The Planners for Equal Opportunity (PEO) was created in 1964 after meetings regarding rent strikes by blacks and Puerto Ricans in the Lower East Side and Harlem neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York. It was a group made up of urban planners, and was officially a subsidiary of the American Institute of Planners. The goal of the PEO was to increase housing opportunities for minority families, as well as looking at quality, availability, and price of existing housing. The organization disbanded in 1976. As a member of PEO, Schwartz was an editor of their newsletter, Equalop.
The Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Company was established in 1992 as a non-profit industrial developer in North Brooklyn. They focus on repairing and refurbishing manufacturing buildings for occupancy by smaller manufacturing companies in an effort to create new employment opportunities for low-income residents. Schwartz was the Secretary on the Board of Directors.
The Morningside Heights Historic District Committee was created in 1996 in an attempt to preserve the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, through its designation as a historic district.
Friends of St. John the Divine was a splinter group of the Morningside Heights Historic District Committee, and was led by Schwartz. The main focus of this group was to fight against the building of a 15 story luxury apartment building on the property of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which is located at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue in New York City. This fight ultimately failed, and the apartment complex was built.
The Committee for a Fair Riverside south raised objections to funding for Donald Trump's luxury urban development project in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The development began construction in 1997.
Planners for Equal Opportunity, 1967, 1999
Scope and Contents Note
Includes research findings and alternative proposals, a history of the organization, and a reunion program
Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, 1993-2013
Scope and Contents Note
Includes background on the organization, tenant surveys, board reports and a strategic plan, as well as annual reports for the organization.
Morningside Heights Historic District committee, 2011-2014, undated
Scope and Contents Note
Includes fliers; meeting notes, minutes, and agendas; pamphlets; a resident tool kit for corresponding with city officials and organizations; bulletins and announcements; and a copy of one of the MHHDC proposals
Friends of St. John the Divine, 2012-2014, undated
Scope and Contents Note
Includes posters and fliers; petitions; meeting minutes and agendas; internal correspondence; and correspondence with church and city officials, and the Landmarks Preservation Committee.
Committee for a Fair Riverside South
Scope and Contents Note
Includes short reports regarding affordable and market rate apartments; apartment sizes and the issues surrounding zero or one bedroom apartments; cost concerns; and objections to public subsidies.