Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel
Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel is a leading voice on the defining urban, cultural, and civic issues of our time. The longest-serving Commissioner of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (1972–1987), she also chaired the NYC Landmarks Preservation Foundation, where she created the now-standard street signs, markers, and maps identifying the city’s Historic Districts. As Chair of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center, she founded the Cultural Medallions program, recognizing notable New Yorkers and historic sites across all five boroughs. A founding director of Friends of the High Line, she has played a pivotal role in preserving and celebrating New York’s architectural and cultural heritage.
As the first Director of New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs, Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel brought the first public art exhibition to Bryant Park and the first public performance by the Metropolitan Opera to Central Park. She has been appointed to distinguished federal posts by four U.S. Presidents, serving on the Boards of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, the American Battle Monuments Commission, and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.
Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel holds a doctorate from NYU and is the author of twenty-four books on art, architecture, design, and public policy. As a Commissioner of the semiquincentennial she has created a new booklet, to be published in May 2026, entitled “Notable New York”, together with designer Harrison Carter, that focuses on unique contributions of each of the five boroughs, that link the local to the national story of America’s 250 years of diversity, innovation and shared community.
In 2022, Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel sponsored a performance of Chanukah music at Temple Emanu-El, Everlasting Light, curated and performed by countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo featuring soprano Angel Blue and Brooklyn Youth Chorus. The following year, the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation awarded Brooklyn Youth Chorus an innovation grant to form the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Youth & Contemporary Music Initiative, providing the entire student body of Brooklyn Youth Chorus the opportunity to interact and work with live composers, learn contemporary performance techniques, and premiere newly commissioned music. The Foundation was also a lead supporter of the Chorus’ commission and production of Port(al), which had its world premiere at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 2025