Press Release

For Immediate Release: August 15, 2025
Contact: lpcpressoffice@lpc.nyc.gov, 212-669-7938

LPC Chair Sarah Carroll Retires After 31 Years of Service With The Agency

A Native New Yorker, Trained Preservationist, and Dedicated Public Servant, Chair Carroll Rose through the Ranks to Become Head of the Agency

Under Chair Carroll's Leadership, LPC Has Advanced Equity, Efficiency, and Innovation Across All Aspects of the Agency's Work

New York – Today, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) announced the retirement of Chair Sarah Carroll after 31 years with the agency – a remarkable career of public service in which she has helped shepherd the designation of thousands of new landmark buildings and sites, overseen the approval of some of city's most innovative examples of new design in historic buildings, and launched the Commission's Equity Framework to ensure inclusion, transparency, and efficiency across all aspects of the agency's work, including prioritizing designations that tell the stories of all New Yorkers and designations across all five boroughs.

The Commission's Vice Chair Angie Master will lead LPC's Public Meetings/Hearings going forward, and work with the LPC leadership team to ensure the continuity of all agency work until a new appointment is made.

"Chair Sarah Carroll has been a champion for preservation, leading our Landmarks Preservation Commission for over seven years with vision and dedication. When our administration reappointed Sarah in August 2022, we knew that she would protect the more than 38,000 architecturally-, historically-, and culturally-significant sites across all five boroughs. Sarah's passion for our city's buildings and communities is evident in her legacy: making our landmark process more transparent, prioritizing designations that represent our city's great diversity, preserving dozens of critical elements of our cultural heritage, and playing a pivotal role in shaping a more sustainable, resilient, and vibrant New York City for all," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams "We wish Sarah nothing but the best in her future endeavors, and we thank her for her years of service to our city."

"After 31 years of extraordinary public service, Sarah Carroll's legacy can be felt and appreciated across our city," said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrion Jr. "Sarah was a champion of New York City's landmarks, while ushering in a new era of preservation that prioritizes equity, progress, and growth. I am forever grateful for her service and wish her the best in her retirement."

"I am immensely proud of the work the agency and I have done to shape the City of New York's built environment during my 31 years at the Landmarks Preservation Commission, through designations – especially of places that reflect the full diversity of New York City – and through our regulatory work, in preserving important historic places while also fostering new and innovative design that responds to the historic context," said Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Sarah Carroll. "I take great pride in what we have done to make LPC's regulatory process both faster and easier to navigate for property owners, and am deeply grateful to LPC's Commissioners and talented staff, whose expertise and dedication have been instrumental in these achievements."

"It has been a privilege to work alongside Chair Carroll during my time on the Commission," said Landmarks Preservation Commission Vice Chair Angie Master. "Her integrity, depth of knowledge, and unwavering commitment to protecting New York City's landmarks have left an enduring legacy at LPC. As Vice Chair, I am committed to supporting the Commission's important work and helping to advance the agency's mission to safeguard the cityscape and uphold the distinctive character that defines New York City's historic districts and designated sites."

A native New Yorker, preservationist by training, and dedicated public servant, Chair Carroll's career with LPC began in 1994 as the agency's Public Information Officer. Over the next three decades, Chair Carroll rose through the ranks, serving first as a Landmarks Preservationist, then as LPC's Director of Preservation before being promoted to Executive Director and ultimately tapped in 2018 to lead LPC, the largest municipal preservation agency in the nation. Chair Carroll is the first LPC staff member in the Commission's history to be appointed as Chair of the agency.

Carroll's lengthy career covers more than half of the Commission's 60-year history, and provides a unique window into the critical role preservation has played in helping shape New York City's iconic streetscape and skyline. The agency's accomplishments during her tenure as Chair speak to her leadership and impact, including:

• Groundbreaking "firsts" such as the first New York City landmark honoring the Indigenous peoples who lived here (Aakawaxung Munahanung (Island Protected from the Wind) Archaeological Site) and Kimlau War Memorial, the first landmark specifically recognizing Chinese American history and culture, which is being restored thanks to funding from the Adams administration.
• A remarkable collection of sites that represent Black History, including (Former) Colored School No. 4), whose restoration is being supported by funding from the Adams administration, Staten Island's Frederick Douglass Memorial Park, and John Birks 'Dizzy' Gillespie Residence, Hotel Cecil and Minton's Playhouse Building, and 935 St. Nicholas Avenue Building.
• A dramatic increase in landmarks honoring New York City's LGBTQ+ community, including Julius' Bar Building, Lesbian Herstory Archives, and the Audre Lorde and James Baldwin Residences.
• A record number of landmark sites in the Bronx, including Old Croton Aqueduct Walk (the Bronx's first scenic landmark), Bronx Opera House (a center for Latino/a music and community) and Joseph Rodman Drake Park and Enslaved People's Burial Ground.
• Historic districts that highlight both the diversity of New York City's residents and its architecture, including Harlem's Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District (the first named after a Black New Yorker), two historic districts in Cambria Heights (the first in southeast Queens), and Linden Street Historic District (the first historic district designated in Bushwick).

Under her leadership the Commission has approved some of the most innovative and exciting architecture in the city, including the renovation of the Frick Collection, the Tang Wing addition to the Metropolitan Museum, the restoration of the Waldorf Astoria, the update of the Harlem Meer in scenic landmark Central Park, the redesign of the Domino Sugar Refinery, and the residential conversions of the iconic Flatiron Building, and 277 Canal Street, the first residential project approved after the SoHo rezoning.

Chair Carroll's passion for design has also resulted in a renewed focus on the stunning interiors found in many of New York's historic sites, with an array of interior landmarks designated under her tenure, including some of the city's most beautiful and architecturally significant interior spaces such as 1 Wall Street's "Red Room," the Temple Court Building (now Beekman Hotel) Atrium, the (Former) Whitney Museum of Modern Art, and the Modulightor Building Apartment Duplex.

Under Chair Carroll, the Commission has advanced initiatives that embrace the dynamic spirit of New York, introducing a slate of new initiatives that have increased agency efficiency, including the launch of LPC's online permitting portal, Portico and the launch of (and updates to) the agency's Permit Application Guidebook, both of which have made it easier and faster for applicants to apply for and quickly receive permits; the launch of LPC's Business Express Service, a one-stop shop that streamlines the permitting process for business owners in landmark buildings; and the passage of new agency rules that enable the city's landmark buildings to evolve to meet modern needs, supporting work to improve the accessibility and energy efficiency, sustainability, and resiliency of the city's landmark sites while remaining appropriate to historic context and retaining their historic features.

"Sarah Carroll is an exceptional and lifelong preservationist, dedicated to public service, and a true institution at the Commission. As my Executive Director, we worked closely together and, with her deep knowledge of preservation and unparalleled experience at LPC, we forged ahead the agency's mission and important initiatives," said former Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan. "Over three decades of service, Sarah has elevated and advanced preservation in New York City, helping to shape the city's iconic streetscapes and historic neighborhoods for generations to come."

"Sarah was indispensable to everything the LPC was able to accomplish when I had the privilege of chairing the Commission. And those accomplishments were accelerated throughout her tenure as Chair," said former Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Robert Tierney. "When she received the prestigious Sloan Award for Public Service in 2012, I said that I had never worked with a more talented, committed and effective public servant. That was true then and it's true today. The City of New York has become a much better place because of Sarah's service to its people and its history."

"Sarah was an extraordinary public servant – talented, creative, and most of all devoted to New York City and preservation. Her vision and skill are evident in a myriad of significant historic projects and districts throughout the city," said former Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Jennifer Raab. "I was fortunate to have benefited from her special gifts when she was just launching her preservation career; the city is lucky to have had the benefits of her leadership and judgment for decades."

"I have had the rare pleasure of serving under three mayors and three Chairs of the LPC, however, it was a special privilege serving with Sarah, the only professionally trained and credentialed preservationist ever to lead the Commission," said former Landmarks Preservation Commission Vice Chair Frederick Bland. "I have admired Sarah's unique talents over a very long time: since the days when she was a young member of the LPC staff and I was a young partner of Beyer Blinder Belle, struggling to find a vote of approval by the Commission for my projects. It is hard to imagine the LPC without her gentle manner and strong leadership."

"It's hard to imagine the LPC without Sarah," said Morris Adjmi, Founder and Principal of Morris Adjmi Architects (MA). "I've learned so much from her over the past 31 years, and deeply admire her enlightened approach to preservation and building in historic districts. Working with her has made me a better architect – and New York a better city."

"The Landmarks Preservation Commission had only existed for 29 years when Sarah joined and in the 31 years of her tenure she has helped us as a city be wise stewards of our rich historic resources and under her leadership as Chair of the Commission she has been a remarkable steward of the institution itself," said Rick Cook, Founding Partner of COOKFOX Architects. "We will all miss her dearly."

Over the course of her career, Chair Carroll has been widely lauded as a leader in the field of preservation and recognized for her work at the Commission, including most recently as the recipient of the 2025 American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York "Service to the City" Award, for which Chair Carroll was recognized for her dedication to preserving and enhancing the city's built environment which has played a pivotal role in shaping a more sustainable, resilient, and vibrant New York City for all. Chair Carroll has also received the 2012 Sloan Public Service Award; the 2023 HHT's Founders Award recognizing exemplary leaders in New York City historic preservation and education; recognized as the 2020 Landmark Laureate from the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center, and as a member of the NYC Landmarks Alliance for her work ensuring diversity in designations and transparency and efficiency across LPC processes.

About the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC)

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is the mayoral agency responsible for protecting and preserving New York City's architecturally, historically, and culturally significant buildings and sites. Since its creation in 1965, LPC has granted landmark status to more than 38,000 buildings and sites, including 1,470 individual landmarks, 125 interior landmarks, 12 scenic landmarks, and 157 historic districts and extensions in all five boroughs. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/landmarks and connect with us at www.facebook.com/NYCLandmarks, www.instagram.com/nyc.landmarks/ and www.x.com/nyclandmarks.