Sally Goodgold Papers, 1940-2011, bulk 1970-2011

Summary Information

Abstract

The Sally Goodgold Papers document the participation of a prominent citizen activist in Manhattan development and growth during the mid to late 20th century. The papers cover land use, environmental impact, law enforcement, women in politics, and New York history, particularly on the Upper West Side. The collection includes organizational records and reports, meeting notes and minutes, audio and videotapes, correspondence, speech drafts, personal notebooks, and commendations from elected officials.

Description

Scope and Content

The Sally Goodgold Papers document citizen action and impact on several significant events in New York City development in the mid to late 20th century. The papers cover urban development, land use, environmental impact, law enforcement, women in politics, and New York history, particularly the Upper West Side. The collection consists of organizational records and reports, meeting notes and minutes, audio and videotapes, correspondence, speech drafts, personal notebooks, and commendations from notable officials such as President Bill Clinton, New York Governor Hugh Carey, Congressman Charles Rangel, Mayor Ed Koch, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, and others.

Goodgold kept copies of reports from many of the City Planning Commission meetings she attended. These have been discarded, but are accessible at the Department of City Planning, City of New York website. Goodgold's reports were from 1978-2004.

Arrangement

Materials arranged into 3 Series.

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Sally Goodgold Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Accrual

No additions are expected

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

2012.2013.M032: Source of acquisition--[source of acquisition]. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--date.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers processed Jacqueline Rider 10/30/2013.

Finding Aid written Jacqueline Rider October 2013.

Revision Description

2013-11-05 xml document instance created by Jacqueline Rider

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Historical Note

Known as the "Ethel Merman of land use," Sally Gottfried Goodgold was born in 1929 in New York. She grew up in the Plymouth Hotel on West 49th Street, which her father, J. Samuel Gottfried, managed. She received a bachelor's degree from Bucknell University in 1949 and volunteered at Beth Israel Hospital, where she met cardiologist Murray Goodgold, whom she married. They had two children. She was co-founder with urban planner Martin Gallent of G&G Partnerships, a consultancy focused on environmentally conscious development. Beginning in the 1970s, she held a number of positions on Community Board 7/Manhattan. In 1984, she became first woman president of the City Club, a good-government group founded in 1892. A regular attendee at City Planning Commission meetings, she was professor of urban planning at Queens College. She served on the board of the New York City Police Foundation and was a member of the Settlement Housing Fund, Jewish Community Relations Council, Park Avenue Synagogue, Civitas, and Citizens Union. Goodgold was known for her non-confrontational negotiating style, which she called "bagel diplomacy." She would have key players to her apartment on West 79th Street for breakfast to, as she said, "keep them talking for as long as it takes to chew through a whole bagel." To maintain her political independence, she never ran for office. Goodgold received numerous awards, including an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the City University of New York and an Outstanding Citizen Award from New York City. She died August 18, 2011, at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan at age 82. She received a rare honor at her funeral where the casket was draped with New York City's flag.

Sources:

Dovere, Maxine. "Sally Goodgold, A Spirit of the City, Dead at 82." (New York: the algemeiner, August 22, 2011).

Dunlap, David W. "Sally Goodgold, Civic Advocate Who Practiced 'Bagel Diplomacy,' Dies at 82." (New York: The New York Times, August 28, 2011).

Leon, Masha. "The Unsinkable Sally Goodgold," (New York: The Jewish Daily Forward, September 2011).

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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