Simeon Heller Residence

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This structure built by an architect for his own residence is a simple and striking example of residential design. Heller was a longtime Queens Chamber Building Awards chairman and jury member. For his own home, he designed a modest home with, as the program book states, “…thought given to orientation for privacy, ventilation and view.” The building sits above grade on a slope with a garage and basement at street level. Although the description states that the design employs no special ornamentation, a calm design emerges with natural materials blending into a terraced landscape behind a rock retaining wall. The current owners have lovingly maintained the exterior design including a unique wood lattice framework on the side elevation.

George D. Kohl Residence

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This residence was awarded as a rehabilitation not a residence, as the modern intervention was to expand the house from a one-family to two-family and one story to two, with an additional one-story extension. According to the awards program description, both residences have front and rear access. The interior was completely gutted and redone. The exterior remains mostly intact and features a facade of granite veneer on the first floor, shingles on the second, and a slate roof.