Castro-Blanco, Piscioneri and Feder | Bronze Plaque for Banks | Significantly Altered | Corona | Bank | 1970 | This interesting take on a local bank branch is now gone. Originally the design incorporated some traditional elements of Spanish architecture most notable a massive entry arch in concrete. Other interior features such as dark stained wood and specifically designed furniture were part of the overall scheme. Already by 1970, this part of Corona was notably Hispanic and is largely majority Spanish-speaking today. However, the local population now uses a Chase Bank branch interchangeable with other Chase branches across the city.
Engelhardt, T. H. | Bronze Plaque for Commercial | Significantly Altered | Forest Hills | Commercial Building | 1949 | The basic shape of this curved corner commercial site is still visible although otherwise largely altered. The original design attempted to be classic yet contemporary by being both low-scale with numerous windows and use of elegant materials such as limestone, white marble, stainless steel, and granite. There were also originally numerous neon signs advertising the commercial establishments located here, although not referenced in the award program. Today the building is a bank and over the entrance in the recessed curve is a large mural of the sites of Forest Hills, a fitting addition to a commercial building built and owned by the company that developed much of the surrounding neighborhood.
Shaftel, Stanley | Bronze Plaque for Residences | Demolished | Flushing | Residence | 1965 | This residence was a product of the era, an L-shaped structure on a large corner plot with an unusual low asphalt-shingle roof that included a dome shape with three octagonal windows over the central entrance. These windows overlooked an open cathedral-style entrance and a spiral staircase for access to the second floor. The awards description also states that all rooms led off the central hallway like spokes on a wheel. The main living space also included a sunken living room with floor to ceiling windows. The exterior was clad in Sayre and Fisher brick, a longstanding brick manufacturer from New Jersey that experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1960s but closed in 1970. The Capanegro residence was demolished in 2004 and replaced by two McMansions.
Warman, Herbert H. | Bronze Plaque for Office Buildings | Significantly Altered | Flushing | Office Building | 1968 | This diminutive building still exists but the 1968 design is obscured by a contemporary design. Originally passerby saw a law firm housed behind a facade of glass in bronzed aluminum framing and surrounded by a peripheral frame of marble facing; today one sees a plain box of concrete painted blue and housing a karaoke bar.
Heller, Simeon | Honorable Mention | Demolished | Beechhurst | Residence | 1955 | Like much of Simeon Heller’s body of work, the Stein residence is now gone, falling to the larger McMansions that have developed in Beechhurst. The original house had a contemporary flair, with a central recessed and raised entrance flanked by a double height all glass living space on one side and a second floor about a two car garage on the other.
