William N. Breger Associates | Bronze Plaque for Schools and Colleges | Extant | Forest Hills | School or College | 1971 | This building shows the continued move toward the minimalism of the 1970s with its largely unadorned facade of brick with plain window treatments and bold geometry of the sloped roofs above the entrance housing skylights for the interior spaces below. It was originally built as an Jewish Orthodox high school. However by 1981 the school had closed and today it is home to the Beth Gavriel Center, a Bucharian Jewish congregation.
John O'Malley and Associates | Bronze Plaque for Public Buildings | Extant | Long Island City | Religious Building | 1969 | The front facade of this community center is dominated by a tiled mosaic in bright oranges and reds above the entrance and fronting a center stairhall. The rest of the exterior is tan brick with limestone trim. The award program also claims the building featured a motorized assembly hall, an unusual descriptor that could possibly refer to the ability to alter the space to serve other purposes.
Raymond Irrera Associates | Bronze Plaque for Public Buildings | Extant | Corona | Public Building | 1968 | As noted in the original awards program, the Corona Library is a simple steel frame with the roof deck laid over bar joists. Most of what can be seen today on the exterior is part of an extensive renovation and upgrade by Gruzen Samton (also a firm which has received Queens Chamber awards). There is a minimal brick and metal facade covering and originally the entrance was recessed, but has since been filled in with a contemporary glass storefront. Gruzen Samton’s project also address modern needs such as ADA compliance and adding much-needed space with a light-filled reading room at the rear.
Boegel and Allodi | Bronze Plaque for Schools and Colleges | Extant | Bellerose | Religious Building | 1966 | St. Gregory’s Auditorium is an addition to St. Gregory the Great School, itself founded in 1953. The school faces 87th Avenue but the auditorium faces a service road of Cross Island Parkway and an embankment of the parkway itself. The building’s design uses traditional materials of red brick. limestone trim, and Vermont slate on the roof. The building’s name is inscribed above the entrance.
Perlstein, Jerome W. | Bronze Plaque for Office Buildings | Extant | Forest Hills | Office Building | 1964 | The Tymon Building is a fun, quirky survivor. A multipurpose commercial building that would look right at home in Los Angeles, this one resides instead on Woodhaven Boulevard. The building features a wide variety of exterior finishes, from circular metal grillwork on the corner stairtower to blue enamel panels and from a glass wall exposing the staircase on the side elevation to stone finishes along the ground floor. This design best showcases architect Jerome Perlstein’s interest in exterior finishes.
