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Oral histories are intimate conversations between and among people who have generously agreed to share these recordings with BHS’s archives and researchers. Please listen in the spirit with which these were shared. BHS abides by the General Principles & Best Practices for Oral History as agreed upon by the Oral History Association and expects that use of this material will be done with respect for these professional ethics.
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[Last name, First name], Oral history interview conducted by [Interviewer’s First name Last name], [Month DD, YYYY], [Title of Collection], [Call #]; Brooklyn Historical Society.
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David Kahn
Oral history interview conducted by Zaheer Ali
October 14, 2015
Call number: 2015.030.002
0:00 - Childhood and education
4:19 - Gay activism in New York City in late 1960s and 1970s
6:30 - Early career at National Parks Service in NYC
8:26 - Introduction to the Long Island Historical Society
12:30 - Early days as Executive Director of Long Island Historical Society
19:17 - Re-envisioning the LIHS as a Museum and Library
28:40 - Revitalizing the Board of Trustees
30:33 - Name change to Brooklyn Historical Society
34:05 - Opposition to name change
41:37 - Proxy vote on name change
43:34 - Board members in favor of name change
44:58 - Condition of BHS building in mid-1980s
51:53 - Renovating ground floor for exhibition space
53:02 - Fundraising for expanding programs
56:35 - Creation and reception of permanent "Brooklyn" exhibition
64:03 - Developing documentary exhibitions and programs
71:44 - Importance of collecting oral histories at BHS
73:31 - BHS at forefront of local history organizations
76:03 - "AIDS in Brooklyn" project
87:37 - "Crown Heights" project
94:46 - Perception of BHS as elitist organization
100:45 - Cultivating Don Othmer as a BHS donor
111:03 - Decision to leave BHS
117:39 - Reflecting on accomplishments at BHS
Interview Description
Oral History Interview with David Kahn
David M. Kahn (1950- ) was born in Rockville Center, Long Island, and grew up in Manhattan, where his father worked in advertising. Kahn attended high school at Blair Academy in New Jersey and then earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Art History at Columbia University. He began a Ph.D. program in Art History at Harvard University but left and began working for the National Parks Service in New York City, as curator of historic sites. He was Executive Director of the Brooklyn Historical Society from 1982 to 1997. After that he was director at several historical museums, including the San Diego History Center and the Adirondack Museum. He lives in Blue Mountain Lake, New York.
During this interview, David M. Kahn (1950- ) describes the state of the Long Island Historical Society's collections and building when he arrived, the conflict among members of the Board of Trustees over the name change to Brooklyn Historical Society, and the fundraising necessary to develop programs and exhibitions that would revitalize the institution and its mission. As Director of the Brooklyn Historical Society from 1982 to 1997, Kahn helped lead the institution through one of its most transformative periods. He describes Don Othmer's involvement with the BHS and the large gift he left in his will. Kahn reflects on the leading role of BHS in documenting and preserving local urban history and recalls details of planning several exhibitions, including one about AIDS in Brooklyn (1992) and another about Crown Heights (1993). Early in the interview, he recalls his activism in the gay rights movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Interview conducted by Zaheer Ali.
Citation
Kahn, David, Oral history interview conducted by Zaheer Ali, October 14, 2015, Henry R. Stiles collection of Brooklyn Historical Society Institutional Memory oral histories, 2015.030.002; Brooklyn Historical Society.People
- Brooklyn Historical Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Kahn, David M.
- Othmer, Donald F. (Donald Frederick), 1904-1995
Topics
- Public history
Places
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Finding Aid
Henry R. Stiles collection of Brooklyn Historical Society Institutional Memory oral histories