2025 Theses Master's

Sites of Cultural Significance to the Abortion Rights Movement in New York City

Citron, Drew

This thesis topic weaves together several strands of preservation scholarship. First, reinterpretation of cultural sites wherein certain histories have been neglected; second, the movement to outline use and programming of activist and feminist architecture; and lastly, the spatialization of place when there is nowhere to go. I will explore these three pillars of postmodern preservation in order to highlight the dearth of study surrounding women's history in the Civil Rights Movement and abortion rights history in particular within New York City.

The objective of this thesis is to expand the power of preservation as a field to protect the rights and safety of women, highlight and educate about histories we cannot afford to revisit. As abortion access in America becomes more and more constrained, this thesis acts as a defense of space and place, figuratively, within ebbing political tides and, literally, within the geographic bounds of New York City. Place matters, place memory matters, and preserving this history teaches us invaluable lessons for future placemaking, equitable access and continued women’s rights.

In the current political climate, when a woman’s right to choose is once again extremely limited and threatened across the United States, drawing attention to the long and dynamic history of the abortion rights movement can affect social change and bring awareness to the general public. Although New York City has maintained its Pro-Choice legal status since three years prior to Roe v. Wade, to illuminate the struggle that took place for centuries before that and to connect this history with actual places and people, is a powerful preservation exercise. I draw attention to this invisible history by mapping sites of clinics, community organizing and activist spaces to illustrate the power of place.

This thesis is an exercise in preservation of locations - some with architectural value, and some without - which have tremendous cultural value. In the context of this thesis, the architectural value or lack thereof is irrelevant to my definition of significance. There are currently no National Register listings nor New York City Landmarks designated for their contributions to this important history.