Annual Meeting 2026
Friday, October 23
Walking Tour and Reception in Prospect Park
3:00 p.m. walking tour ⋅ 5:00 – 7:00 PM reception and meeting
95 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY
This year’s Annual Meeting will take place Friday, October 23, at the charming Picnic House in Prospect Park. We encourage any person residing in the United States who has completed a course offered by The Attingham Trust to join us as we explore this historic public garden. Preservation architect and Attingham alumnus David Yum ’11, Director of Architecture & Preservation for the non-profit Prospect Park Alliance, will discuss the park’s architectural history on a fascinating walking tour, before our meeting and refreshments in the Colonial Revival style Picnic House, built in 1927.
In 1866, local businessman James T. Stranahan and park commissioners hired acclaimed landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux to transform 585 acres of forest and farmland into a park. At the heart of their design were the 90-acre Long Meadow, the woodland Ravine, meandering paths with scenic lookouts, and an extensive network of waterfalls, springs, and the 60-acre lake. The Park officially opened in 1867. In the early 20th century, the architectural firm McKim, Mead and White formalized the Park’s major entrances with columns and statuary. Other notable additions to the Park were the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch at Grand Army Plaza, designed by architect John Duncan in 1892, and the 1905 Beaux Arts Boathouse by designers Helmle, Huberty and Hudswell. To learn more about the history of the park, visit the Prospect Park Alliance website (click here).
Once again, AFA is pleased to offer complimentary admission to the Annual Meeting, which includes a walking tour of Prospect Park followed by a reception at the Picnic House. We kindly ask guests to consider making a small donation of $20 in lieu of admission to offset our costs. To view the full meeting agenda click here (link forthcoming). AFA is very grateful to alumnus David Yum ’11, Director of Architecture and Preservation, and his colleagues at the Prospect Park Alliance who have made this event possible.
WALKING TOUR
Guests attending the walking tour will gather at 3:00 p.m. just inside the park at Willink Plaza, near the intersection of Empire Boulevard and Flatbush Avenue, which is located on the east side of the park. The Empire Boulevard entrance is south of the 18th-century Flatbush farmhouse, Leffert Historic House, and near the historic Prospect Park Carousel, carved in 1912 by Charles Carmel. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to join the group once the tour has commenced, so please plan to arrive promptly at 3:00 p.m. All other guests attending the meeting and reception should proceed directly to the Picnic House at 5:00 p.m.
MEETING & RECEPTION
Guests who plan to attend the meeting and reception, without attending the walking tour, should come to the Picnic House at 5:00 p.m. The Picnic House address is 95 Prospect Park West. It is located between Fourth and Fifth Streets, less than a quarter of a mile to the east of Prospect Park West. Directions to the Picnic House may be found using this Prospect Park Alliance map (click here).
CLAIM MY TICKET MEETING AGENDA
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This year’s slate of candidates is below.
First-terms
Lauren Brincat ’19, SC ’25
Marianne Brown ST ’24, ’26
Justin Detwiler ’13, RCS ’19, LHC ’23
Second-terms
Colin Fanning ’15, RCS ’16, SP ’24
Diana Carroll Toole ’11
Summer School Class of 2026 Representative
Wendy Bellion ’26
NOMINEES BIOS
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If you are unable to attend, please submit your vote by proxy to ensure we reach a quorum.
Proxy voting closes October 22 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
PROXY VOTE
Top: The Prospect Park Boathouse, photo by Steven Severinghaus, 2014. Image courtesy Flickr. Above: The Prospect Park Picnic House, photo by Prospect Park Alliance. Image courtesy of Flickr.
ABOUT DAVID YUM ’11
David Yum is the Principal of David Yum Architects, established in 2000, and concurrently serves as the Director of Architecture and Preservation for the Prospect Park Alliance. Over the past two decades, his practice has developed a diverse, international portfolio encompassing residential, institutional, and historic preservation projects. His notable designs include the Leema Building in Seoul, the offices for the Public Art Fund, and the restoration of a McKim, Mead & White estate in Hyde Park. His civic contributions are highly visible across New York, highlighted by his design of the Northeast Pavilion in Prospect Park and the extensive historic restoration of Brooklyn’s Soldiers & Sailors Monument.
His firm is the recipient of a New York AIA Honor Award as well as design merit awards from both the Boston Society of Architects and the New Jersey AIA. For his public and preservation contributions, he has been honored with the Excellence in Public Design Award from the Public Design Commission and the Lucy Moses Award for Historic Preservation.