Margot Gayle obtained almost a cult like status in New York City for her work as a preservationist, activist, journalist, newspaper columnist, tour guide, and community organizer, with a passion for Victorian cast iron architecture. Born in Kansas City in 1908, she moved frequently before heading to Atlanta, and attending Agnes Scott and Emory University. After a brief stint in social work, she soon became immersed in the political injustices of the pre civil war antebellum South which would influence her throughout her life.

She advocated against the pole tax in Georgia, was Secretary of the League of Voters in the 1930s – and was devoted to the cause of political education along with other suffragette women of that era who described Gayle as someone with remarkable public relation skills,

“who with a velvet glove, could sell a battleship to a Quaker in New York…with a soft cadence…and expressions like nifty, gosh darned, and goodness knows”

Upon moving to New York, she soon turned her attention to architectural preservation, forming a committee to save the Jefferson Market Courthouse in Greenwich Village built in 1876, going against the recommendations of NYC’s revered AIA. She noted that,

“if one forms a committee, gets a name and prints a letterhead, you have a certain power that you didn’t have just 10 minutes before…”

She is largely responsible for the preservation of the cast iron district of SOHO in New York, which was then declared a historic district by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. She was known to carry a pocket magnet to test buildings and determine if they contained cast iron, as many builders and owners tried to disguise the use of the material by mimicking the more popular stone facades of the era. It was said that Margot’s ‘good-humored fanaticism’ saved many cast iron buildings as a result.

Well into her 90s, Gayle continued advocating for causes about which she was passionate through small volunteer organizations. Her energy and commitment, her organizational and scholarly educational work, and largely self-funded projects, led to formidable connections and significant results. She died at the age of 100 in 2008 and was such a distinctive personality that NY Mayor Ed Koch called her the queen of New York. Hers is a legacy worth celebrating!

Per the National Trust for Historic Preservation:

A true pioneer in preservation, Gayle died in 2008 at the age of 100. “Today preservation is established. There are government agencies and bureaucracies,” says Robins. “But there would be no such laws were it not for people like Margot. Behind every preservation success story is a person who put everything else aside in their life to make sure it happens.”

Birmingham Historical Society Director, Marjorie White, has dedicated her life to recording and preserving Birmingham’s history with over 70 publications, countless volunteer organizations, self-funded projects, and unflappable enthusiasm. I cannot end this post without mentioning her selfless passion for historic preservation which rivals that of Margot Gayle!