Hausman and Rosenberg | Bronze Plaque for Apartments | Extant | Whitestone | Apartment Building | 1963 | The last major development of a community on this curve of land in Whitestone, along with Cryder Point Apartments and Levitt House, this 20 story building dominates the shoreline. The building includes a wide curving entrance canopy, glass terraces, and a private beach to take advantage of the location and only occupies 10% of the expansive site. Privacy is a distinct consideration with a gatehouse, on property parking, and a brick wall surrounding the property. Hausman & Rosenberg were chosen for this last piece while George Miller did the lower-rise adjoining developments.
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.
Tippetts Abbett McCarthy and Stratton | Bronze Plaque for Theatres & Other Places of Amusement | Extant | Rockaway Beach | Hotel or Motel | 1963 | This beachfront club is one of a disappearing breed of clubs catering to largely working class Brooklynites who have been renting the beachfront cabanas for years. Unlike some other waterfront cabanas, the Silver Gull is unique in that its cabanas are two story and some jut out into the water on piers. The buildings are faced with wall board and the doors are painted bright colors. The complex is centered around a large one story clubhouse with restaurant, bar, and cafeteria. In front of the clubhouse are several swimming pools on a raised concrete platform. It was originally constructed with 473 cabanas and 351 cabinettes which could accommodate approximately 1,500 families. During 2012 Hurricane Sandy severely damaged the club. It has subsequently reopened but some cabanas were not rebuilt.
Soper, Dudley E. | Bronze Plaque for Banks | Extant | Kew Gardens | Bank | 1963 | The former Hamburg Savings Bank exists across from Queens Borough Hall, part of a row of commercial establishments. The small building is wedged into a small through-block site and incorporates parking at the rear. The decorative exterior includes aluminum windows, Italian ceramic tile spandrels, blue glazed brick and tan brick, and white marble. Four floors of banking sit within this diminutive site. Hamburg Savings Bank merged long ago and its successor Capital One now resides here.
Heller, Simeon with Meltzer, George J. | Bronze Plaque for Rehabilitations and Alterations | Significantly Altered | Jamaica | Bank | 1963 | Not the only Queens Modern winner to be converted into a discount store, this former bank branch is now largely obscured by awnings and unfortunate painting over of much of the Regal Blue and Alabama White marble on the front facade. Passerby can mostly identify the building by the still prominent flagpoles at the roofline and the metal grill above the door. The interior had teak paneling (now gone) and an acoustic tile ceiling with recessed lighting, which is still visible in the commercial space. This project won an award as a combining and rehabilitation of two existing buildings and not as a new structure.
