John Weiss

John Weiss has served as deputy counsel for the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission since 2001. Weiss leads Landmarks’ efforts to protect landmarked structures from demolition-by-neglect, and each of his cases reveals a fascinating tale of New York City real estate.

After earning his undergraduate degree in political science and public policy from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, Weiss was torn between studying law or architecture. He took time off while at Hampshire to work with the Washington, D.C. Public Defender Service and then for the Belchertown Planning Board in Massachusetts. Weiss also spent a summer in New York City working for the Municipal Art Society. He returned to MAS after graduating, where he helped form the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts.

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Carol Clark

Carol Clark, Assistant Commissioner for Land Use and Local Governmental Affairs with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, serves as one of the agency’s vital ambassadors to the City Council. The Council must review HPD’s affordable housing development initiatives that involve the disposition of City-owned properties or the grant of tax exemptions. Clark arrived at HPD ten years ago with an extensive background in architecture, historic preservation, planning, and real estate development.

Architectural base. Clark grew up in the suburbs outside Detroit, Michigan. As a child on family trips to the city, she was captivated by the architecture of downtown Detroit’s skyscrapers. Clark’s interest in architecture led her to study architectural history at the University of Michigan. As an undergraduate, Clark became aware of the emerging efforts to restore and adaptively reuse historic buildings. When Clark learned that Columbia University offered the nation’s first graduate program in historic preservation, she knew a move to New York City would soon follow. Columbia accepted Clark, and she moved to the City in 1975.  (read more…)

Kate Ascher

Kate Ascher, head of Happold Consulting’s U.S. practice, has perhaps become better known for her popular books on how cities work. Ascher received her masters and doctorate degrees from the London School of Economics, where she focused on the interface between the public and private sectors. She previously worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the City’s Economic Development Corporation, and Vornado Realty Trust. Currently, Ascher teaches at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation as the Milstein Professor of Urban Development. Ascher explains the complex systems and structures of cities in her books, The Works: Anatomy of a City (Penguin 2005), and the recently published The Heights: Anatomy of a Skyscraper (Penguin 2011). (read more…)

Susan M. Hinkson

Susan M. Hinkson serves as one of the five Commissioners on the Mayor-appointed Board of Standards and Appeals. Hinkson, who is trained as both an architect and an attorney, was born and raised in the Bronx. Her father served as a justice in the Bronx County Supreme Court and her mother was a musician in the theater. Hinkson said her mother probably thought she would also go into theater, but around age fourteen Hinkson declared that she wanted to pursue a career in architecture instead. Hinkson did some acting, however, and, drawn to the technical aspects of the theater, also worked on set and lighting design. While studying architecture at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, Hinkson worked nights as a stage manager, and she is still a member of Actors’ Equity.

Architectural roots. Hinkson fondly recalls having crammed in an attic studio space at Pratt with three other students. Studying architecture before the shift had occurred to computer-assisted design, Hinkson learned to do everything by hand. She appreciates the human element of drafting, where the “brain is thinking with the fingers,” which she feels can be lacking from entirely computer-designed buildings. She said working by hand forced her to contemplate each line placement.  (read more…)

Attorney Jesse Masyr brings unique expertise from the public sector to help developers navigate the City’s public review process. CityLand spoke with Masyr at his Midtown office about his career in land use law.

Masyr, who grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, attended Tulane School of Law in New Orleans. Masyr majored in American history as an undergraduate at Harpur College (now SUNY Binghamton) and was fascinated by the antebellum period. Masyr figured that if he did not complete law school, New Orleans would be a great place to continue studying history. Masyr’s backup plan was unnecessary, and he earned his J.D. in 1975. After returning to the City, Masyr acted as Carol Bellamy’s press secretary during her run for City Council President. Bellamy’s election was certain after the primary, so Masyr joined the campaign of Andrew Stein, who was still facing a general election fight in his bid for Manhattan Borough President.

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