Paul Byard

The late architect and lawyer Paul Byard was an expert in the blending of old and new architecture in urban settings (read his New York Times obituary here). An adjunct associate professor of historic preservation and director of the Historic Preservation Program at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation for many years, he was also the author of the critically acclaimed book The Architecture of Additions, which considers the economic, political, and aesthetic concerns of integrating landmark buildings with new construction.

Before becoming an architect, Byard practiced law. His significant contributions to the creation and defense of historic preservation law include development of the last modern American program of low-income housing for the New York State Urban Development Corp., where he served as associate general counsel. He worked on the legal defense of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Law, the most aggressive in the nation. He was principal author of the briefs amicus curiae of the Municipal Art Society in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Penn Central case upholding the constitutionality of such historic preservation laws.

A graduate of Yale, Cambridge, Harvard, and Columbia Universities, Byard was a principal of Platt Byard Dovell White Architects, a prize-winning architectural practice noted for its distinguished designs for new buildings in complex contemporary landscapes.

His thoughts on the proposal are available online.

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We invite you to learn more about Columbia's proposal for a revitalized urban academic community in the old Manhattanville manufacturing area at the western edge of West Harlem and share your ideas, concerns, and questions with us. Please contact the Office of Government and Community Affairs by phone at (212) 854-2871, or by e-mail at campusplan@columbia.edu.