{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/vh5cc0wq5f/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Allan Smith Oral History"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWoodhaven resident Allan Boecherer Smith is a retired architect, historian, and co-author of the book \u003cem\u003eCypress Hills Cemetery\u003c/em\u003e (published in 2010 by Arcadia Publishing). Smith shares memories of growing up in Woodhaven from the late 1930s to the mid-1950s, including attending P.S. 97, visiting the Queens Public Library's Woodhaven branch, and commuting as a student at Brooklyn Technical High School. Smith, who studied architecture at Syracuse University and the Pratt Institute, lived in Manhattan as an adult but moved back to Woodhaven later in life to take care of his elderly mother.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSmith recalls his work as a project architect restoring a townhouse located on West 54th Street in Manhattan that had been built in 1898; he identifies it as his most memorable project which also sparked his interest in historic preservation. Smith discusses his involvement in restoring the Wyckoff-Snediker Family Cemetery in Woodhaven (located behind All Saints Episcopal Church, formerly the site of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church); the cemetery has grave markers dating from 1793 to 1892. Smith also speaks about the history of and historic-preservation-related activities regarding Cypress Hills Cemetery, Green-Wood Cemetery, the Forest Park Carousel, and Neir's Tavern. Additionally, Smith discusses his involvement in local history organizations such as the Queens Preservation Council, which advocates for and organizes efforts to preserve the borough's historic places.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAllan Boecherer Smith passed away on September 24, 2025 at the age of 86.\u003c/p\u003e (supplement)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/44234"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2021-09-14 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Video"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Allan Smith (Interviewee)","Kendra Kuszai (Interviewer)","Ken Gordon (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["Late 1930s - 2021 (temporal)","Woodhaven, Queens, NY; Brooklyn, NY; Manhattan, NY (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWoodhaven resident Allan Boecherer Smith is a retired architect, historian, and co-author of the book \u003cem\u003eCypress Hills Cemetery\u003c/em\u003e (published in 2010 by Arcadia Publishing). Smith shares memories of growing up in Woodhaven from the late 1930s to the mid-1950s, including attending P.S. 97, visiting the Queens Public Library's Woodhaven branch, and commuting as a student at Brooklyn Technical High School. Smith, who studied architecture at Syracuse University and the Pratt Institute, lived in Manhattan as an adult but moved back to Woodhaven later in life to take care of his elderly mother.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSmith recalls his work as a project architect restoring a townhouse located on West 54th Street in Manhattan that had been built in 1898; he identifies it as his most memorable project which also sparked his interest in historic preservation. Smith discusses his involvement in restoring the Wyckoff-Snediker Family Cemetery in Woodhaven (located behind All Saints Episcopal Church, formerly the site of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church); the cemetery has grave markers dating from 1793 to 1892. Smith also speaks about the history of and historic-preservation-related activities regarding Cypress Hills Cemetery, Green-Wood Cemetery, the Forest Park Carousel, and Neir's Tavern. Additionally, Smith discusses his involvement in local history organizations such as the Queens Preservation Council, which advocates for and organizes efforts to preserve the borough's historic places.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAllan Boecherer Smith passed away on September 24, 2025 at the age of 86.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public 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