Church of Saint Mary the Virgin Photo Credit: JHPA, Inc.
“Oscars of Preservation”
The New York Landmarks Conservancy has announced the winners of the 2023 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards to be recognized at the Awards Ceremony on April 19th at 6:00 pm at Saint Bartholomew’s Church in Manhattan.
The Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards are the Conservancy’s highest honors for excellence in preservation. The Awards recognize individuals, organizations, and building owners for their extraordinary contributions to the City. The Conservancy is grateful for the support of the Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, which makes the Awards possible.
“The Lucys are always a joyous celebration of excellent preservation projects and people. It is always wonderful to see the range of great work throughout the City,” said Peg Breen, President of The New York Landmarks Conservancy.
Laurie Beckelman, former Chair, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, will receive the 2023 Public Leadership in Preservation Award. John J. (Jack) Kerr, Jr., attorney, will receive the Preservation Leadership Award in honor of his role in preservation’s most significant legal decisions, and for his work with many nonprofit organizations, including the Conservancy, where he served as Board Chair.
The 2023 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Project Award recipients include: 1065 Clay Avenue; 131 Duane Street; 69th Regiment Armory; Asia Art Archive in America; Castle Clinton National Monument; Church of Saint Mary the Virgin; The Church of St. Luke & St. Matthew; Lefferts Historic House, Prospect Park; New York State Pavilion; Pier 57; Roosevelt Island Lighthouse and St. Luke’s Historic Pavilions.
The 2023 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Project Award recipients are:
1065 Clay Avenue, Bronx
Thanks to Ali and Farah Mozaffari, the extraordinarily dedicated owners, 1065 Clay Avenue in the Bronx has been transformed from a vacant wreck to a restored residence that has reclaimed its place in the Clay Avenue Historic District. The Mozaffaris overcame tremendous odds to rescue an abandoned house in a socio‐economically challenged neighborhood and an often overlooked historic district. With their determination, the building has become the pride of the block, and a beacon of renewal.
Mary Kay Judy Architectural & Cultural Heritage Conservation
131 Duane Street, Manhattan
The pristine restoration of 131 Duane Street showcases meticulous work by a team of preservation professionals. This restoration returned the building to its original marble, brick, and cast iron façade, and rediscovered the historic “Hope Building” sign. The team took special care to address the ornate architectural details that contribute to the distinct character of the Hope Building and the Tribeca South Historic District.
Jonathan Schloss Architect
Walter B. Melvin Architects
69th Regiment Armory, Manhattan
The 69th Regiment Armory is a 1906 architectural treasure designed by Hunt & Hunt, that is also an active military facility. This posed a challenge when over 200 original wood windows were found to be dilapidated and unusable. In a successful result, all new fenestration precisely matches the historic windows and meets current energy efficiency standards. As the Armory continues to be an active facility for the New York National Guard’s 69th Regiment, this project also had to meet Department of Defense Anti-Terrorism standards for blast resistance.
Hoffmann Architects + Engineers
Asia Art Archive in America, Brooklyn
The Asia Art Archive in America’s restoration and reuse of 23 Cranberry Street marks a new phase in the long life of this Brooklyn Heights carriage house. This project converted the building into a public space for the study of post-war Asian Art. The lower levels were adapted for offices and public programs and the upper for residential use. A few objects from the collection of the previous long-time owner, sculptor John Rhoden, including a Buddhist prayer table, a teak railroad tie from Indonesia, and pieces of hardware and cast iron, brass, and bronze have been incorporated into the rooms.
Baxt Ingui Architects, PC
Castle Clinton National Monument, Manhattan
Castle Clinton has played a significant role in New York City’s history and an early demonstration of adaptive reuse since it was completed in 1811. Today Castle Clinton welcomes more than 3 million visitors annually, as the National Park Service (NPS) ticket office for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. This project has carefully restored the fort’s historic brownstone walls, and ensures that the Castle will continue to welcome visitors for decades to come.
John G. Waite Associates, Architects
Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Manhattan
For two decades, the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin was hidden behind a sidewalk bridge. This project has revealed its glorious façade. The church (also known as Smoky Mary’s, for the generous incense used in services) was designed by Napoleon LeBrun and Sons in the French Gothic Revival style and completed in 1895. It was the first building in the world that used steel frame construction, eliminating the need for flying buttress supports, and permitting a large interior on a narrow lot. The limestone and brick façade and limestone statuary by John Massey Rhind have now been carefully restored. Today the sidewalk bridge is gone, and the edifice again shines on 46th Street.
Jan Hird Pokorny Associates
The Church of St. Luke & St. Matthew, Brooklyn
The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew was designed in the Italian Romanesque Revival style and completed in 1891. It is a masterpiece of polychromy employing seven unique stone types. This restoration project has stabilized and restored the monumental façade and stained glass, and repaired a hole in the roof. The project was funded in tandem with zoning changes to a nearby new development. It shows how preservation and new construction can work together to revitalize New York’s communities.
Li/Saltzman Architects, PC
Lefferts Historic House, Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Lefferts Historic House is an 18th-century farmhouse within Prospect Park. Prospect Park Alliance and the Historic House Trust jointly operate and preserve this remnant of the Village of Flatbush. The Alliance received $2.5 million from the Speaker and the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council to fund this capital restoration project, which replaced the cedar shingle roof, repaired the façades, windows, and porch, all while leaving original historic fabric in place. Lefferts House is now set to welcome some 30,000 visitors a year.
Prospect Park Alliance
New York State Pavilion, Queens
The New York State Pavilion project has preserved a significant example of work by Philip Johnson, one of the world’s most famous architects, and rare survivor of the 1964-65 World’s Fair, and an icon of Queens. The stabilization of the towers, and installation of architectural lighting at the towers and Tent of Tomorrow are part of a series of interventions to improve and enhance the Pavilion now, make future maintenance and access easier, and encourage funding for future projects.
NYC Department of Parks
Jan Hird Pokorny Associates
Pier 57, Manhattan
The rehabilitation of Pier 57 has found an extraordinary new use for this once-vacant structure. It integrates the pier into Hudson River Park and includes a new public rooftop park, office space, a performance venue, a food market, classrooms and community spaces. It is the result of a partnership between the Hudson River Park Trust, RXR, Young Woo & Associates, and the pier’s tenants, Google, City Winery, Jamestown, and the James Beard Foundation. This rehabilitation is as unique as the pier itself and enables visitors to experience and interact with this remarkable structure for the first time. The complex and challenging project was completed with state and federal historic tax credits.
Handel Architects
Higgins, Quasebarth & Partners
Roosevelt Island Lighthouse, Lighthouse Park
In 1828, New York City purchased Blackwell’s Island (now Roosevelt Island), where it built various facilities including a Penitentiary, the New York Lunatic Asylum and the Smallpox Hospital. In 1872 it added the Blackwell’s Island Lighthouse to aid in the navigation of the East River. Even as hundreds of thousands of tourists a year explore the endless beauty of the Island and revel in its history, the iconic Lighthouse was in desperate need of repair to restore it back to its former glory. Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, a New York State Authority, decided in 2021 to proceed with the restoration of the Lighthouse, which repaired the gneiss stone façade, replaced the lantern and added colorful architectural lighting.
Thomas A. Fenniman Architect
St. Luke’s Historic Pavilions, Manhattan
Abandoned for decades, the stunning pre-war St. Luke’s Hospital Pavilions, designed by Ernest Flagg and built 1897-1928, have been preserved and transformed into a high-end residential complex. This comprehensive restoration strategy has stabilized and restored the elaborate brick and granite façade, slate roofs, and copper trim. It required an owner, Delshah Capital, with a committed vision, a dedicated project team, and a financial plan that utilized preservation tax credits. This project demonstrates how traditional materials and new innovations can work together, ensuring that historic buildings can evolve and continue to make valuable contributions to the City.
CetraRuddy
Thornton Tomasetti
The New York Landmarks Conservancy
The New York Landmarks Conservancy, a private non-profit organization, has led the effort to preserve and protect New York City’s architectural legacy for 50 years. Since its founding, the Conservancy has loaned and granted more than $60 million, which has leveraged more than $900 million in more than 1,300 restoration projects throughout New York, revitalizing communities, providing economic stimulus and supporting local jobs. The Conservancy has also offered countless hours of pro bono technical advice to building owners, both nonprofit organizations and individuals. The Conservancy’s work has saved more than a thousand buildings across the City and State, protecting New York’s distinctive architectural heritage for residents and visitors alike today, and for future generations. For more information, please visit www.nylandmarks.org.
You must log in to post a comment.