Elmhurst General Hospital
York and Sawyer | Bronze Plaque for Public Buildings | Extant | Elmhurst | Healthcare or Nursing Facility | 1956 |A large, sprawling mid-century hospital complex, Elmhurst General Hospital is still surprisingly intact on the exterior. Still visible in large part on the secondary facades is the original salmon colored brick and some of the exterior terraces, used in the 1950s and 60s but abandoned for interior state of the art interior facilities today. York and Sawyer, the classicists of banks and hospitals in Manhattan designed this hospital, most likely as a last gasp of the firm and no doubt with some consulting help.
St. Mel’s Auditorium
Beatty and Berlenbach | Bronze Plaque for Public Buildings | Extant | Forest Hills | Religious Building | 1955 |Sometimes building campaigns fall short or parish needs change. St. Mel’s Auditorium was built for the neighboring St. Mel’s School as a 900-seat gathering space over a 400-seat basement cafeteria. Today St. Mel’s Auditorium is St. Mel’s Church and the auditorium serves as the main sanctuary, complete with contemporary stained glass. A metallic steeple has been added on top of the flat roof of the auditorium.
Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills
Baylinson, S. Brian | Bronze Plaque for Public Buildings | Extant | Kew Gardens Hills | Religious Building | 1949 |This temple is described as modified Georgian Colonial, mostly relating to the use of brick, wood-framed white windows and doors, and symmetrical facade orientation. The design was employed to fit into the the neighborhood, but with the evolution of the community, the Center now seems like one of the oldest structures in the area. There is a low rise youth center to the north with classical elements and originally there was space to the south for expansion, that is now filled with a bank.
Peninsula Branch Library
Arthur A. Unger and Associates | Bronze Plaque for Public Buildings | Extant | Rockaway Beach | Public Building | 1971 |This one-story library is a severe sight with an exterior of dark brick, a narrow band of grey aluminum clerestory windows, and a flat roof also of grey aluminum. There is a simple concrete and leaded glass window mosaic next to the entrance.