Lee Adler (preservationist)

Leopold Adler II (April 18, 1923 – January 29, 2012) was an American historic preservationist based in Savannah, Georgia.

[4] In 1959, after learning that four century-old Savannah town houses were about to become demolished, he made a deal to purchase the entire row for $54,000,[7] with the 300 members of the Foundation agreeing to share the cost.

In 1989, U.S. president George H. W. Bush presented Adler with the National Medal of Arts for "civic leadership in preserving for all time the beauty of Savannah.

"[1] In 1994, Adler rose to fame after his appearance in the John Berendt non-fiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which highlighted his sour relationship with its central character Jim Williams, a fellow Savannah preservationist.

[11] The Adlers won the John Macpherson Berrien Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Georgia Historical Society in 2003.

[12] After his death, the Historic Savannah Foundation established the Lee and Emma Adler Preservation Advocacy Award.

The former Adler home at 425 Bull Street in Savannah, built in 1858