Kent, Leticia (Leticia Jane), 1928-1999
Dates
- Existence: 1928 - 1999
Biographical Note
Freelance journalist and urban planning activist, Leticia Kent (1928-1999) was born in Palm Beach, Florida as Leticia Jane Katz and changed her last name to Kent when she was 18. She studied architecture at Pratt Institute in New York and met Jane Jacobs, who became a lifelong friend and mentor. Kent continued her studies at Cooper Union, earning a certificate in 1960. She worked at architectural firms in Manhattan, but by the early 1960s, she was writing freelance for The New York Times, Vogue, and others. Her early journalism focused on arts and culture, and she published interviews with Jane Jacobs, Norman Mailer, Susan Sontag, Lily Tomlin, and Andy Warhol, among others. Kent worked for The Village Voice from 1966-1968 as a staff writer and acting city editor, with a focus on urban affairs and cultural trends. She was also an urban planning activist, protesting urban renewal projects in the West Village alongside Jacobs and as part of the Village Independent Democrats (VID). Kent was involved in advocacy for environmental protection in southeastern Florida, protesting the proposed expansion of the port at Palm Beach and air pollution from public utilities in Miami. In 1973, she served as Special Assistant to the New York City Parks Commissioner (Edwin L. Weisl, Jr.). She was a founding director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. Kent died of cancer in 1999.
Sources:
"Leticia Kent." Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation oral history, accessed on January 16, 2026. https://www.villagepreservation.org/oral_history/leticia-kent/
Leticia Kent resume, Box 1, Folder 4, Leticia Kent papers, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.
Obituary. New York Times, July 14, 1999.
Smiley, Shannen. "Leticia Kent Oral History: Revisiting Her Unique Window on History." Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation website, accessed on January 16, 2026. https://www.villagepreservation.org/2022/10/11/leticia-kent-oral-history-revisiting-her-unique-window-on-history/
Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) Identifier
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Leticia Kent papers
Papers documenting the professional life of twentieth-century American journalist and urban planning activist Leticia Kent. Materials include correspondence, drafts, newspaper and magazine clippings of her published work, photographs, and audio recordings of interviews with public figures of her era, particularly those in arts and entertainment.
Collection is open for research.