This firm, in existence from 1961-1976, completed dozens of Jewish centers across New York City and Long Island, as well as schools, commercial buildings, animal hospitals, and apartment buildings. A well maintained archive of Stanley Rosenberg at New York Historical Society allows an examination of one of these smaller, regional firms who helped design the public face of mid-century Long Island, but did not reach the upper echelon of New York City’s architectural elite. As with many firms of the era, Jewish-led firms tended to work more frequently outside of Manhattan, especially in the areas that grew substantially after World War II with new waves of Jewish residents.

Rosenberg was born in New York City in 1923 and studied at Brooklyn College, followed by Columbia University’s School of Architecture. He received his degree and license in 1952 and apprenticed at a number of firms before landing his first partnership. Not much is known about Rosenberg’s first partnership, Sirof, Rosenberg & Sivertsen, which does not appear in the AIA Directories of the era, despite its substantial output between 1955-1961. Significant projects include the Ardsley Hotel of 1957, claimed to be the first fully fireproof motel in New York State [1]; the Business Professions Building of 1959, a speculative office building designed and owned by the firm [2]; and the Eastwood Village development in Centereach, which received a Homes for Better Living Award from the Technical Bulletin of the Producers Council [3].

In 1961, Rosenberg formed a partnership with Alvin Hausman (1923-2005). The firm’s body of work included residences, office buildings, hotels, and dozens of gleaming commercial showrooms for businesses across the city. Also existing are at least two dozen modest synagogues and yeshivas for towns like Elmont, Merrick, Ellenville, and Scarsdale, as well as several in Queens and Brooklyn [4]. The modern designs are typically brick faced with exterior Judaica and stained glass. Many of the designs are low buildings with fewer windows, creating a bunker-like appearance. But others show a wider range, such as the proposed Forest Park Jewish Center, with twin two-story octagonal volumes with large expanses of glass. Not all of the designs were built as proposed or at all, possibly due to the costs associated.

The firm’s reputation grew regardless, with published articles on school construction and store modernization. In 1966, Yeshiva University’s Community Service Division announced a formal partnership with Hausman & Rosenberg, who were contracted to provide free architectural consultations to congregations affiliated with the University for such needs as school buildings, lobbies, and playgrounds [5].

The two buildings for which the firm won Queens Chamber Building Awards however were not synagogues. Cryder House (1963), a 20-story shoreline apartment tower in Whitestone, is a prominent local landmark towering over its surroundings and when built included a private restaurant, underground parking, a private beach, and mooring for residents’ boats. The other, an industrial plant in Laurelton for Vitarine Pharmaceutical Company (1964), is a modest one story facility on an access road just off the Belt Parkway. The firm’s most well-known building is likely their Lincoln Square Synagogue, constructed in 1970 as part of the major urban renewal area. The curved building, clad in white travertine marble, was demolished in 2015.

Selected Projects

As Stanley Rosenberg

Blue Store Hotel, La Plata MD, 1953

Leban Residence, Hollywood FL, 1953

Beach Hill Residences, Beach Hill NY, 1954

Glasser Building, Brooklyn NY, 1954

Hotel La Guardia, Elmhurst NY, 1954

Monaco Surf Club, Lido Beach, NY, 1954

Azalea Inn, Norfolk VA, 1955

Gold Building, Hempstead NY, 1955

Canon Camera Office and Showroom, NYC, 1956

Mack Residence, Kings Point NY, 1956

East Harlem Day Center for Older Persons (alteration), NYC, 1956

As Sirof Rosenberg Sivertsen

Ardsley Motel, Ardsley NY, 1957

Kingsbridge Center of Israel, Riverdale NY, c. 1957

Chapel Education Wing, Stewart Air Force Base, Newburgh NY, 1958

Eastwood Village Homes, Centereach NY, 1958

Sewage Treatment Plant & Barracks, Camp Hero, Montauk Point NY, 1958

Harbor Hills Country Club, Port Jefferson NY, 1959

Manhasset Lakeville Fire Department, Co., New Hyde Park NY, 1959

Business Professions Building, NYC, 1959

Hodson Community Center, Bronx NY, c. 1960

As Hausman & Rosenberg

Avenue Z Jewish Center and Talmud Torah, Brooklyn NY, 1961

Floral Park Jewish Center, Floral Park NY, c. 1961

Beth Jacob of Borough Park, Brooklyn NY, 1962

Ridgefield Towers, Brooklyn NY, 1962

Torah Israel Community Center and Temple, Brooklyn NY, 1962

Cryder House, Whitestone NY, 1963

Auto Thrill Show Pavillion at World’s Fair, Corona NY, 1964

Hellsdriver Exhibit at World’s Fair, Corona NY, 1964

Vitarine Pharmaceutical Company, Laurelton NY, 1964

Castle Hill Jewish Community Center, Bronx NY, c. 1964

Eleanor Roosevelt Houses, Brooklyn NY, 1965

Steinway & Sons Building 87, Astoria NY, 1965

Yeshiva Torah Vodaath & Mesvita Dormitory, Brooklyn NY, 1965

Yeshiva Torah Vodaath, Harry Hershowitz School, Brooklyn NY, 1965

Congregation Sons of Israel addition (not built), Yonkers NY, 1965

Engine Co. 9 Ladder Co. 6, NYC, 1966

River Plaza, Bronx NY, 1966

Steinway & Sons Building 94, Astoria NY, 1966

Lido Beach Apartments, Lido Beach NY, 1967

Trade Bank & Trust Company, Great Neck Plaza, NY, 1968

Evsco Pharmaceutical Corp., Oceanside NY, 1969

Hillcrest Nursing Home, Spring Valley NY, 1969

Middle Island Veterinary Hospital, Centereach NY, 1969

Greenpoint Public Library, Brooklyn NY, 1970

Dune Deck Hotel, Westhampton Beach NY, 1970

Garden Jewish Center, Flushing NY, 1970

Sutton Plaza, NYC, 1970

Lincoln Square Synagogue, NYC, 1970

Ellenville Jewish Center, Ellenville NY, c. 1970

Forest Park Jewish Center, Woodhaven NY, c. 1970

Greystone Jewish Center, Yonkers NY, c. 1970

Max and Rose Heller Hebrew Academy, Flushing NY, c. 1970

Young Israel of Scarsdale, Scarsdale NY, c. 1970

Goldwater Memorial Hospital addition, Roosevelt Island NY, 1971

Rockwood Park Jewish Center, Howard Beach NY, 1974

 

 

Sources
  1. Review Press and Reporter (Bronxville, NY). 30 May 1957. Fultonhistory.com. Web.
  2. “Architects Take Turn As Their Own Builders.” The New York Times. 25 July 1959. Web.
  3. Technical Bulletin, The Producer’s Council, Inc. December 1957.
  4. Box 4, Folders 95-97. The Stanley R. Rosenberg Architectural Records 1952-1985, New-York Historical Society.

Queens Modern: The Architects

Queens Modern: The Architects