A Conversation with Board Chair Frank Sanchis

The leadership of our Board of Trustees changed over at the beginning of 2020 as we said goodbye to former Board Chair Paul Provost who recently became CEO of Art Bridges, based in Bentonville, Arkansas.

We are thrilled to introduce his successor, Frank Sanchis. Frank is a relative newcomer to the Preservation League Board of Trustees, but since joining in 2017 he has been an extremely active and engaged member of this leadership group. He is a Vice-Chair of the organization, a member of the Awards Committee, and has served as chair of the Governance Committee.

He has significant experience in architecture, preservation, and planning and holds a B.A. in architecture from Pratt Institute and an M.S. in historic preservation from Columbia University. He has been the Program Director for World Monuments Fund since 2010. Before joining WMF, he held leadership roles in various preservation organizations, including the Municipal Art Society, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the New York City Landmarks Preservation commission. He is the author of American Architecture: Westchester County, New York, illustrated largely with his own photographs.

What drew you to the League?

Numerous things, among them that I was raised upstate in a tiny village with a thriving main street that is now on hard times; my exposure to statewide preservation organizations through my work at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, where I saw the leadership the League provided to others statewide, and my 25 years of service on the New York State Board for Historic Preservation, where we were constantly reviewing National Register nominations for the most wonderful places scattered around the state, and I became fully aware of the quality of the resources we have.

Have you always been interested in historic preservation?

Ever since college. While taking my Bachelor of Architecture at Pratt Institute, I was inspired by my architectural history teacher, Sibyl Moholy-Nagy, to do research on the topic. That led to a summer job in 1966 measuring historic buildings in Philadelphia for the Historic American Buildings Survey; to taking a Master’s degree in historic preservation at Columbia University; and to an entry level job at the New York City Landmarks Preservation commission in 1969. I’ve been at it ever since.

What League projects or events are you most interested in?

I like recognition events that celebrate accomplishment in preservation, since they are always inspirational. For that reason, I’m a big fan of the Pilar gala, which spotlights people and organizations who have made a difference in preservation, and to the Excellence Awards, where the selected projects are inevitably visual knockouts and get people excited. Project–wise, I am in awe of the amount of organizational guidance, support and technical assistance the League gives to preservationists around the state. It’s invaluable and essential.

In your view, why does preservation matter?

It’s grounding. It’s educational. It ties us to our histories, whatever they might be. It makes walking down the street every day an exciting experience. It opens the door to a richer everyday life. It positively affects our everyday surroundings. It’s increasingly diverse. It’s not wasteful. It’s good for kids. I can’t think of a single negative that applies to it. I love it and I’m devoted to making everybody feel the same way.