Fakler and Horowitz | Bronze Plaque for Residences | Extant | Corona | Residence | 1969 | The backstory of this set of rather modest, apartment-style, attached residences comes courtesy of Leo Fakler, a partner in the firm which designed the project, Fakler & Horowitz. The partners met in the offices of the Lefrak Organization’s go-to architect, Jack Brown, and worked on several major projects, including the award-winning Lefrak City. They set out on their own in 1961, partnering together until the late 1960s. Give the date of this structure, this would have been one of their last projects completed together. As Mr. Fakler states, developers were very busy in 1968 rushing to complete projects before the major NYC zoning changes took place and the speculative Jardan Residences was one of many projects the firm was involved with at the time. The developer was Howard Miller, who had also worked for Jack Brown, until he set out on his own. The residences are of brown brick and have a series of exterior balconies and staircases, providing access and privacy. The base of the building is a series of rounded arches with parking available in front.
Rothman, Lawrence M. | Bronze Plaque for Apartments | Extant | Forest Hills | Apartment Building | 1952 | Another somewhat interchangeable brick apartment tower, the L-shaped Park Briar is slightly discernible for its angled orientation and central entrance set back behind a small landscaped entrance plaza. The original glass fronted balconies have been replaced by white metal.
Engelhardt, T. H. | Bronze Plaque for Commercial | Significantly Altered | Forest Hills | Commercial Building | 1948 | 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.
S. J. Kessler and Sons | Bronze Plaque for Apartments | Extant | Kew Gardens | Apartment Building | 1961 | When built Silver Tower was the tallest residential building on Long Island. Today it’s not even the tallest building nearby (which goes to Court Plaza of 1974), but it still largely dominates low rise Kew Gardens. The building is not silver but rather white brick with vertical accents of grey brick. The base is a glossy black granite. The tower rises 16 floors initially and then another 11 as a setback tower. While not an elegant design, the building speaks to the continued market for apartments with the latest amenities during this time.
Weston, Martyn N. | Honorable Mention | Extant | Jackson Heights | Apartment Building | 1956 | Another ubiquitous late Jackson Heights apartment building, this one is of dark red brick and an entrance that originally shown with white marble and a turquoise mosaic, both now gone.
