The simple brick and glass facade of this branch is of Astoria Federal is still extant although extended another lot along the streetwall. The interior originally featured a large mural of Manhattan. The award program specifically calls out Muzak as a special feature, undoubtably a rarity this time.
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.
Another ubiquitous late Jackson Heights apartment building, this one is of dark red brick and an entrance that originally shown with white marble and a turquoise mosaic, both now gone.
This synagogue is located in the quiet residential setting of Belle Harbour. The building is faced with quarry stone and brick and includes some interesting temple details like the row of front doors shaped like an open book. The complex includes the main sanctuary, a balcony, a school, a chapel, a roof terrace, and a ballroom. Badly damaged during Hurricane Sandy with major flooding of its lower floors, the building only partially reopened in 2014 and has still not fully recovered. Victor Civkin, the synagogue’s architect was not particularly well-known especially in New York. However he also designed a temple using similar materials in Fairfield, Connecticut, as well as numerous residential structures in southwest Connecticut.
The Balfour is essentially two separate brick apartment complexes tied together with a one story entrance wing in the middle. Built to serve a more luxury clientele, the complex is well-maintained and incorporates amply open space covering 60% of the site. The brick-clad, six-story apartment buildings have minimal exterior detailing but originally boasted a host of modern conveniences inside. The Cord Meyer Development Company developed this and several other Queens Chamber Award winners during this era.