Lama Proskauer Prober | Honorable Mention | Extant | Douglaston | Commercial Building | 1962 | The former Shell station consists of a plain brick building with four bays and a hipped roof at the rear of the lot. The site is now used as parking for a nearby restaurant. While not particularly interesting, the service station was designed by Lama, Proskauer, Prober, a prolific but largely unheralded firm, that designed hundreds of buildings, mainly service stations, but also apartment complexes across the city. The firm was active for a long span of time, from the 1920s until at least the 1980s. As real estate prices have continued to rise and service stations, especially in Manhattan, have been replaced by new development, this firm’s body of work is rapidly shrinking.
Birnbaum, Philip | Bronze Plaque for Apartments | Extant | Bayside | Apartment Building | 1962 | Designed by prolific apartment designer Philip Birnbaum and built by noted Queens developer Morton Pickman, this 14-story apartment complex still towers over the Bayside neighborhood around it. The design is fairly standard for Birnbaum, efficient yet state of the art, providing amenities such as an Olympic swimming pool, rooftop garden, and private terraces. Some “of-the-moment” features are noted in the awards writeup, such as music played throughout the public spaces and an oriental style lobby. These elements have not survived to the present day, although the severe marble lobby has glints of its past.
Ketchum Gina and Sharp | Bronze Plaque for Schools and Colleges | Extant | Flushing | School or College | 1962 | An open plan facility, the Queens College Dining Hall features multiple dining spaces around a central kitchen. The building is one story with floor to ceiling windows throughout within aluminum frames. The entire exterior is enlivened by brickface in a variety of colors including red, brown, yellow, and grey. There is also an outdoor dining area. It is unclear how much the interior treatments remain, but it is expected they have been updated over time.
Mulokas, Jonas | Honorable Mention | Extant | Maspeth | Religious Building | 1962 | The Church of the Transfiguration is one of the most unique and striking structures honored by the Chamber of Commerce during this era. Nestled within a compact residential part of Maspeth, the A-frame church incorporates traditional Lithuanian symbols into a definitively modern structure. The front facade is a wall of colored glass which sits recessed under the projecting eaves of the A-frame. The red entrance doors are surrounded by white brick, have a red undulating canopy over them, and above that a modern sculpture of the Transfiguration. The base of the building and the short projecting wings are clad in orange brick. Symbols of Lithuanian culture abound on the exterior as well as the interior, which was designed by V. K. Jonynas. A prominent bell tower rises up with a stylized shrine at the top. The architect Jonas Mulokas specialized in Lithuanian Catholic churches and several of his works still exist in Illinois among other places. An older rectory sits to the right of the church and was reclad in orange brick to match the newly constructed church.
Mauch, Paul G. | Honorable Mention | Extant | Glendale | Commercial Building | 1962 | This commercial facility was built to replace the previous structure which burned down in a major fire the year before. Glendale Lumber has existed in this location since its founding in 1920 by Edward Wagner and remains owned by the Wagner family. The design is utilitarian while also employing popular finishes of the period such as aluminium framed windows, terrazzo flooring, and wood paneling. The complex remains remarkably intact down to the unique 1960s pebble-globe chandelier in the showroom designed by Mrs. Jack Wagner Sr. Behind the showroom and offices in the main storage warehouse is the original modular shelving system imported from England in the early 1960s, which is still in use today. Special thanks to Lance Wagner Sr. and the Wagner Family for the tour of their facility.
