Evans and Delehanty | Bronze Plaque for Banks | Demolished | Elmhurst | Bank | 1966 | This building was at the corner of Queens Boulevard and Broadway, a location especially chosen to give the bank prominent placement. It is unclear why a round bank was designed although the award”s program states that the round shape was informed by the corner lot and need for an entrance facing the intersection. However, with Skidmore Owings and Merrill’s complex of round buildings for Macy’s and National City Bank just down Queens Boulevard, it is possible that this bank was inspired by its nearby neighbors, completed just the year before. The bank was constructed with a precast concrete exterior while the disengaged roof was held up on interior columns. The interior also included a symmetrical arrangement of teller stations and a Venetian terrazzo floor. The building was demolished in 2004 and the lot is currently empty.
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.
Brodsky Hopf and Adler | Bronze Plaque for Public Buildings | Demolished | Flushing | Public Building | 1963 | This administration building was constructed in 1963, on the site of the new Queens Botanical Garden. The previous garden was in Flushing Meadows Park but was moved to a neighboring plot to accommodate construction for the 1963-64 World’s Fair. The building had stone walls and glass expanses to allow for viewing out onto the garden. Slate floors, exposed wooden beams, and wooden decks also helped the building blend into its surroundings.
Shreve Lamb and Harmon Associates | Honorable Mention | Demolished | Long Island City | Bank | 1962 | The Bankers Trust building was a three-story structure sited on an odd-shaped corner lot. The narrow end of the lot was the primary entrance and the bank expanded out as it went back. The bank was clad in brick above a stone base and had aluminum window detailing. The name of the branch ran along both facades and below a simple cornice line in several places were classically-inspired decorative elements, possibly stylized crests. Demolished at the height of a real estate bubble in 2008, the lot remains empty although plans have been filed for much larger buildings.
Kirchman and Bassuk | Honorable Mention | Demolished | Long Island City | Office Building | 1959 | Unfortunately this moody but handsome building was demolished in 2013 just before this project started. A new, much taller building is taking this corner site off of Queens Plaza and several other Queens Modern winners nearby have also been lost in recent years. The award winning rectilinear structure was built on a sloping corner moving from two to three stories including basement and clad in striking black enamel brick and a brassy colored metal framing system running down one side of the building.
