History

The first working committee consisted of Mrs. W. Randolph Burgess (who became the Foundation’s first president), Mrs. Helen I. Coolidge, Mrs. Carolyn Agger Fortas and Neill Phillips, Admiral, US Navy, Retired. Trustees included Dean Acheson, Secretary of State (1949-1953); David E. Finley, Director, National Gallery of Art (1938-1956) and Robert Hale, Member of Congress (1943-1959). The Foundation began working in three general areas: protection of historic structures through purchase, easement acquisition and funding of restoration; protection of residential areas from institutional incursion through vigorous legal action; and preservation of open space through grants and easements.