Voorhees Walker Foley and Smith | Honorable Mention | Demolished | Jamaica | Commercial Building | 1953 | Currently being replaced by a large new school, the three story brick administrative building originally housed 1,000 employees. The design was typical of the 50s and included exterior facing of red brick with limestone trim, and aluminum windows. Countless schools, libraries, and other public buildings incorporated the exact same elements. The architects Voorhees Walker Foley & Smith were the exclusive architects for NY Telephone, adapting whatever style of the era to suit the needs of the massive company.
Halsey McCormack and Helmer | Bronze Plaque for Banks | Extant | Jamaica | Bank | 1957 | A traditional Georgian Revival bank building by a firm known for its bank design. The Awards program is surprisingly amusing in its description of the design stating “…the Richmond Hill Savings Bank tends to exert a subtle influence of traditional New Englad morality and sound character in this Queens community.” It goes on further to state “…it presents a charming picture which, in a quiet way, may serve to temper any tendencies toward extremes of architecture in future neighborhood construction.
Kontakosta, E. M. | Bronze Plaque for Public Buildings | Extant | Jamaica | Public Building | 1963 | This funeral home used a variety of materials and decorative details to evoke a contemporary design. The compact building is surrounded by a parking lot and on one side a step down canopy covers access from the driveway into the building. The building is clad in a gold-colored Roman brick and the window and door surrounds are gold colored aluminum. To the left of the entrance is a striking white decorative block screen which rises above the roofline. The interior incorporates brick, terrazzo, and walnut paneling.
Morris Rothstein and Sons | Honorable Mention | Extant | Jamaica | Retail or Shopping Center | 1950 | Jamkay Realty is named for the developer and not the actual structure which is in effect, a large indoor mall taking up several blocks in downtown Jamaica. The building is mostly of a uniform height and frontage all the way around, using limestone and granite as cladding, which gives it a solid appearance. All parking is on the roof level so that there are store windows fronting onto the street. Even some signage and minimal detailing still exists on the exterior, which is surprising given Jamaica’s ongoing downtown redevelopment.
Saphier, Frederick | Bronze Plaque for Office Buildings | Extant | Jamaica | Office Building | 1967 | Mirrored glass began to appear more frequently in the late 1960s and here a bold bronze tinted plate glass and amber spandrel glass gives a corporate sheen to this former union headquarters. The building is raised up on a brick base with a large glazed brick band across the cornice as well. There is some marble cladding at the entrance stairway although its unclear if that is original.
