Patricia J. Lancaster

Patricia J. Lancaster served Commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings from April 2002 to April 2008. She is currently a building code consultant to the Durst Organization, a high-end property development company in New York City.citation | last=Kates | first=Brian | title=Ex-commish who quit after 1st crane horror takes job with huge developer | publisher=New York Daily News | date=2008-06-05 | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/06/05/2008-06-05_excommish_who_quit_after_1st_crane_horro.html ]

Personal life

Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Lancaster studied painting and pottery at Linfield College in Oregon, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art and Technology in 1975. She received a Master of Architecture degree in 1981, from the University of Washington in Seattle.citation | title=About the Buildings Department: Commissioner's Biography | publisher=New York City Department of Buildings | url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/about/comm_bio.shtml | accessdate=2008-03-19 ] citation | last=Finn | first=Robin | title=PUBLIC LIVES; Bronco-Buster for an Errant Buildings Department | newspaper=The New York Times | year=2002 | date=2002-05-31 | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E1DC173AF932A05756C0A9649C8B63 | accessdate=2008-03-19 ] citation | title=Biographies (Executive Briefing Series Supporting High Performance Government: Leading Large Scale Change) | publisher=Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service | date=2007-03-07 | url=http://www.wagnerbriefing.com/downloads/BiosMarch707.doc | accessdate=2008-03-19 ]

Career

After moving to New York City in 1982, Lancaster worked with architects Perkins and Will, and served as Associate Director for Interiors at Michael Lynn.cite book | last=Lancaster | First=Patricia J. | title=Construction in Cities: Social, Environmental, Political, and Economic Concerns | publisher=CRC Press | year=2001 | isbn=0-8493-7486-3 ]

Lancaster was Assistant Vice President of Planning, Design and Construction at Columbia University, and Vice President of LCOR, Inc.

She has served as an Adjunct Professor at the New York University Real Estate Institute, as an Associate Professor of Architectural Design at the University of Washington College of Architecture and Urban Planning, and as an Associate Professor of Art at Linfield College.citation | title=Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg Announces Five Appointments | publisher=City of New York | date=2002-02-28 | url=http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.b270a4a1d51bb3017bce0ed101c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=nyc_blue_room&catID=1194&doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2002a%2Fpr042-02.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1 | accessdate=2008-03-19 ]

Lancaster is a Registered Architect in New York State, and a licensed real estate broker. She is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Construction, and the American Institute of Architects.

Government

From 1994-96, Lancaster served as Deputy Commissioner for Design and Construction at the New York City Department of General Services.

In 2002 she was appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg as the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings.citation | last=Cardwell | first=Diane | title=Mayor Names Commissioners for Buildings and Environment | newspaper=The New York Times | year=2002 | date=2002-03-01 | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A00E2DC1031F932A35750C0A9649C8B63 | accessdate=2008-03-19 ] During her tenure she worked to modernize the department, and oversaw a rewrite of the city's building code. She resigned on April 22, 2008, after criticism over an increase in construction accidents.citation | last=Bagli | first=Charles V. | last2=Cardwell | first2=Diane | title=As Construction Deaths Rise, Buildings Chief Faces Scrutiny | newspaper=The New York Times | year=2008 | date=2008-04-22 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/nyregion/22lancaster.html ] citation | last2=Bagli | first2=Charles V. | last=Cardwell | first=Diane | title=New York Buildings Chief Resigns | newspaper=The New York Times | year=2008 | date=2008-04-23 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/nyregion/23lancaster.html ]

References