Get to Know the 2022 Pillar of New York Award Honorees
Otis & Nancy Pearsall
Nancy and Otis pictured with their dog.
Otis and Nancy Pearsall have been affectionately dubbed the “Father and Mother of Brooklyn Heights” for their tireless commitment to their beloved neighborhood and borough. They purchased one of the oldest homes in the neighborhood, lovingly restored it, and have spent many years there as a family. Years before the Landmarks Law was drafted, these two not only spearheaded their neighborhood’s effort to achieve historic district designation but also meticulously documented this effort. They have been involved in other epic battles since. Quite simply, they have made a lifetime commitment to preservation.
A'Lelia Bundles
Photo credit: Anya Chibis
A’Lelia Bundles is an award-winning journalist and author. In addition to founding the Madam Walker Family Archives, she is a trustee emerita of Columbia University and chair emerita of the National Archives Foundation. A’Lelia was a network TV news executive and producer for 30 years at NBC and ABC. She is a member of the boards of the March on Washington Film Festival, the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Indiana Landmarks and Columbia Global Reports. She is currently at work on her fifth book, The Joy Goddess of Harlem: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, about her great-grandmother whose parties, arts patronage, and travels helped define the era.
Elizabeth & Ethan Finkelstein
Photo credit: HGTV
Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein scour national real estate listings searching for historic homes for sale under $150K. They hand-pick the most impressive of the bunch and post them to @cheapoldhouses, their Instagram page with an audience of more than 1.7 million old house enthusiasts. Cheap Old Houses became a hit TV show on HGTV/Discovery + in 2021. Ethan is the founder of Color + Information, a marketing firm in Brooklyn. Elizabeth, who grew up in an 1850s house her parents restored, has a Master’s Degree in historic preservation and a career working as a researcher, writer, educator, and nonprofit professional. They are old house lovers who are hard at work restoring one of their own in upstate New York — and they have opened countless people’s eyes to the power of preservation and the beauty of living in an old house.
Join us as we celebrate Otis & Nancy Pearsall, A’Lelia Bundles, and Elizabeth & Ethan Finkelstein on Tuesday, April 5. This event will take place in-person at the Rainbow Room in NYC, with a virtual component accessible no matter where you are! Click here for more information and tickets.
For more than 25 years, the Preservation League of New York State has been honoring corporations and individuals who have taken extraordinary action to protect, preserve, and promote New York’s artistic and architectural heritage. This event is the League’s largest annual fundraiser — supporting the Pillar Awards supports the League’s statewide work all year long.