Mayor Adams Announces new Appointments to Landmarks Preservation Commission, Public Design Commission

February 22, 2023

Stephen Chu, Mark Ginsberg, and Angie Master Have Been Approved by City Council and Will Join Landmarks

Bill Heinzen Will Serve as Mayor Adams’ Designee on Public Design Commission

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today appointed Stephen Chu, Mark Ginsberg, and Angie Master to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), and designated Bill Heinzen as his representative on the New York City Public Design Commission (PDC). Chu, Ginsberg, and Master have already been approved by the New York City Council and will join the commission for the next meeting this month.

LPC commissioners serve three-year terms. The PDC designee serves at the pleasure of the mayor.

“This diverse slate of appointees will bring to their work a wide range of perspectives and a shared commitment to our city’s built environment and public spaces,” said Mayor Adams. “New York City offers a unique blend of the historical and the cutting edge — no other city comes close. I am confident that this group of commissioners will be faithful stewards of both and help our city continue to recover and grow without losing sight of our past.”

“Every New Yorker deserves access to a built environment and public space that celebrates the richness of our city’s history, while also embracing our adaptive spirit,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “I am certain these new appointees for the Public Design Commission and Landmarks Preservation Commission, who are respected and talented professionals in their fields, will bring dynamic skill sets and voices to the matters that come before them. I look forward to seeing their work play out in the future of our city’s skyline.”

“The mayor’s three appointees are committed to protecting and preserving New York City’s architecturally, culturally, and historically significant sites,” said LPC Chair Sarah Carroll. “They each bring significant expertise, experience, and a commitment to our city that will further LPC’s mission and help shape the city’s built environment.”

“PDC is thrilled to welcome Bill Heinzen to the commission,” said PDC Executive Director Sreoshy Banerjea. “His deep knowledge of New York City history, parks, culture, and the past projects of the Public Design Commission is invaluable to us. With the addition of his expertise and guidance, we continue to be excited to center design excellence in New York City’s built environment and public realm.”

“I am honored to join the Landmarks Preservation Commission and assist in the protection and preservation of New York City’s rich history of diversity and culture, while considering the present and future needs of our great city and its five boroughs,” said incoming LPC Commissioner Stephen Chu.

“It is an honor to serve on the Landmarks Preservation Commission,” said incoming LPC Commissioner Mark Ginsberg. “I look forward to helping preserve our past, while moving towards a low-carbon future and encouraging much-needed housing.”

“I am deeply honored to be nominated by Mayor Adams to serve as a commissioner of the Landmarks Preservation Commission,” said incoming LPC Commissioner Angie Master. “As the LPC Staten Island and real estate representative, I look forward to working collaboratively with the other commissioners to help preserve New York City’s many culturally, historically, and architecturally significant landmarked sites.”

“The Public Design Commission has improved every corner of New York City through its review of public spaces, new and existing structures on city land, and public art,” said Bill Heinzen, special counsel, Office of the Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as Mayor Adams’ designee on the commission, and I am excited to work with its dedicated commissioners and staff to further PDC’s mission to make the city even better with innovative, sustainable, and equitable design.”

About Stephen Chu

Stephen Chu is an architect and principal at Ennead Architects, a New York City-based firm renowned for its diverse civic work with an emphasis on cultural, educational, and diplomatic projects. His internationally award-winning portfolio comprises a broad range of work, including the renovation of 425 Lafayette Street, home of the Public Theater, a New York City landmark; the Delacorte Theater renovation in Central Park; the International Performing Arts Center in Shenzhen, China; the renovation of Louis Kahn’s Yale University Art Gallery; New York University (NYU) Langone Medical Center; the NYU Center for Genomics; Bing Concert Hall at Stanford University; and New York City Center and the Samuel J. Friedman Theater renovation, both of which received the Lucy G. Moses Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

Chu is an associate professor at Pratt’s Graduate School of Architecture and has served as studio critic, juror, and lecturer at numerous colleges of architecture. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design, with graduate studies in urban and regional planning at the Università IUAV di Venezia. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

About Mark Ginsberg

Mark Ginsberg FAIA, LEED AP is a native New Yorker and partner of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP, with over 33 years of professional experience in planning, urban design, and institutional and housing projects. His expertise in affordable and mixed-income housing, resiliency, and green design has been recognized nationally and locally. He has led Curtis + Ginsberg’s efforts on developments that comprise well over 10,000 units of housing, most of which are affordable and sustainable.

Ginsberg is a past president of the AIA New York chapter, former co-chair of the New York New Visions executive committee, and an organizer of both the New Housing New York Ideas Competition and the Legacy Project. He co-chaired the Post-Sandy Housing Task Force and was a member of the AIA National Housing Task Force. Ginsberg is also vice chair of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, a member of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing’s board of trustees, and a trustee of the National Housing Conference, as well as president of Citizen’s Housing and Planning Council. He received the Sarah Powell Huntington Leadership Award for a deep commitment to public welfare and social justice from the Women’s Prison Association and Home Inc.

Ginsberg is a registered architect in the states of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. He holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University in theater design and government.

About Angie Master

Angie Master practices commercial real estate across New York City at the boutique firm Prendamano Real Estate of Staten Island. She facilitates commercial sales and leasing across sectors, including retail, warehouse, office, and religious and educational institutions, while seeking to preserve the legacies of local landscapes and allowing for future growth. She advocates for her diverse clients ranging from small businesses to large corporations, as well as non-profit organizations including the JCC of Staten Island, Pride Center of Staten Island, Historic Richmond Town, and Eden II.

Prior to her real estate career, Master worked as a marketing executive at Avon, Nabisco, and Schering-Plough HealthCare Products. Master began her career in management consulting at Towers Perrin and Booz Allen Hamilton, where she worked on international projects ranging from the Indonesian national steel mill, where she identified $20 million in transportation cost savings, to domestic projects, such as a reconnaissance study for Honolulu, Hawaii’s Sanitation and Parks Departments. She also taught marketing courses as an adjunct professor in the Master of Business Administration program at Wagner College.

Master serves on the board of several Staten Island-based nonprofits, including the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island and formerly Staten Island Academy. She is a member of the Historic Richmond Town and Sung Harbor Cultural Center.

A Korean American immigrant, Master earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Stanford University, and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School, where she was the Robert Lear Scholar.

About Bill Heinzen

Bill Heinzen currently serves as special counsel in the Office of the Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall. In the past, he has served in several New York City government roles, including deputy counselor to the mayor, counsel to the Public Design Commission, senior vice president and general counsel to the Hudson River Park Trust, deputy commissioner and acting commissioner at the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, and general counsel at the New York City Board of Correction.

He also serves on the board of the Ballet Tech Foundation, which operates the New York City School for Dance.

He received a Bachelor of Arts in history from Haverford College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin.

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