Oliver E. Allen (1922-2017) played a fundamental role in the designation of Tribeca as a recognized historic district by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the New York City Council. Professionally, he was a writer and editor for Life magazine and later an editor at Time-Life Books. He wrote over a dozen books and published well over one hundred articles. In 1989 he contributed to the book "The Texture of Tribeca" by Andrew Dolkart, which was used to promote the mission of the Tribeca Community Association. As a longtime resident of Tribeca he volunteered his time to historic preservation efforts in the area. He was the Vice Chair of the Committee for the Washington Market Historic District and one of the founders of Friends of Duane Park. He was a regular contributor to The Tribeca Trib, a publication covering Lower Manhattan, writing articles about the history of Tribeca. He resided at 42 Hudson Street, New York, in a loft overlooking Duane Park with his wife Deborah (d. 2014). Together they had four children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. An interview with Oliver Allen was conducted by The New York Preservation Archive Project in 2010 and can be found here: NYPAP Oliver Allen Oral History

Tribeca is an abbreviation for the "triangle below canal." Before adopting the name Tribeca in the 1970s, the area was known as Washington Square Market. This former name was chosen for the committee of which Oliver Allen was vice chair and it is found on the folders in this collection. Tribeca runs from Canal Street on the North, Broadway on the East, Vesey Street on the South, and West Street on the West. The area was split into four separate historic districts being: Tribeca North, East, South and West. Tribeca West, which covers about 17 blocks, was the first to be designated and approved as a historic district in 1991. The other three districts, North (about 10 blocks), East (about 10 blocks), and South (5 blocks), were designated as historic districts by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1992 and approved by City Council on April 1, 1993. The Tribeca South Extension was designated as a historic district in 2002, though that event is not covered in this collection. This Landmarks Preservation Commission map shows the Tribeca historic districts and full designation reports may be read.