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yet, to make the building look decent. We did finally get the money from the City and started the air conditioning of the main building, the research building.

You mean to preserve the documents.

Yes. Now, to preserve the documents, the stacks are air conditioned. Simultaneous with all this we had to do something about Bryant Park, because Bryant Park which surrounds the main library had really been taken over by the pushers, and it was an unsafe place to go. The pushers were operating on all sides of the building. Indeed, one day when we were having a party, some pushers tried to sell some whatever to Brooke Astor and Drew Heinz! [laughter]

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Let me tell you, that's not the way to make yourself popular or help people give you money! Bill Dietel had been saying all along, “There's no use in your doing something about the main building if you don't do something about Bryant Park.” So I set up a separate entity to do something about Bryant Park, because God knows the management of the Library had enough work to do without worrying about Bryant Park. We set up a little board, created the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation, hired an executive director, and got a lot of advice from people who were very knowledgeable about parks and so on.