Biographical Note

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS MICHAEL ADLERSTEIN OF UNITED STATES

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL MASTER PLAN

 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Michael Adlerstein of the United States as Executive Director of the Capital Master Plan at the Assistant Secretary-General level.  Most recently, Mr. Adlerstein was the Vice-President and Architect of the New York Botanical Garden, America’s oldest and most respected centre for horticulture, botanical research and education.

In the 1980s, Mr. Adlerstein was the Project Director for the restoration of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, the most ambitious historic restoration project ever undertaken by the United States Department of the Interior.  He led the master planning team and managed the team of architects, engineers, landscape architects and other consultants through the planning and design process and later managed the complexities of construction on Ellis Island.  The success of the project led to his promotion to Chief Historical Architect.  As such, he was recognized as the national expert in the field of historic preservation, advising the National Park Service Director and the Secretary of the Interior on all historic preservation issues.

During his National Park Service career, Mr. Adlerstein managed the planning, design and construction programme for the north-east region, including complex partnership projects at Gettysburg, Valley Forge, Acadia and Jamestown.  Throughout the north-east region, he directed the design and construction process for major rehabilitation, stabilization and restoration of public facilities, visitor centres, historic buildings, utility systems, exhibits and other infrastructure.

Mr. Adlerstein, a New York native, received his architectural degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.  He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia and has worked as a State Department consultant on preservation issues on numerous projects, including the preservation of the Taj Mahal.  He has been recognized for his contributions to the field of architecture with numerous awards, and in 1994 was made a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

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