Municipal Art Society head stepping down

The Municipal Art Society said Thursday that its long-time president, Kent Barwick, will step down in early 2008.
The board has appointed a search committee to plan next year’s transition and choose a new president. After a short sabbatical, Mr. Barwick will become president emeritus and assist on selected projects and initiatives.

“MAS is entering the most significant phase in its growth since the 1970s and over the last year or so we have been thinking about the future,” said Philip Howard, chairman of MAS, in a statement. “Kent has been the soul of MAS for almost 40 years. We believe this is the right moment to choose a man or woman smitten enough with New York to take up a very ambitious assignment, and young enough to stick with it for at least a decade.”

Mr. Howard credited Mr. Barwick with “leading the charge to save Grand Central Terminal, stopping towering buildings that would have cast shadows across Central Park, preserving the glitzy character of Times Square, building a magnificent new Moynihan Station, revitalizing the waterfront, and hundreds of other projects.”

The Municipal Art Society is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote a more livable city. Since 1893, MAS has worked to enrich the culture, neighborhoods and physical design of New York City.

By: Diane Hess

Crain’s NY

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