Conservancy Hosts 22nd Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 The New-York Historical Society Some 450 people packed The New-York Historical Society on April 25 to applaud an impressive list of Moses winners from across the City. They ranged from a Brooklyn church that painstakingly refinished its Renaissance Revival sanctuary, to Edgar Allen Poe’s Cottage in the Bronx, to the Central Park Police Precinct, where the facades of a historic stable complex have been cleaned and restored and a new canopy roof has added additional space for precinct functions.
Acclaimed preservation architect John Belle received the Preservation Leadership Award while Councilmembers Brad Lander and Steve Levin received the Public Leadership Award. The coveted awards, nicknamed the “Preservation Oscars,” laud outstanding preservation work. They are named for Lucy Goldschmidt Moses, a dedicated New Yorker whose generosity benefited the City for more than 50 years. The Awards have recognized over 200 individuals, organizations and building owners for their extraordinary contributions to the City.
“This is one of the most joyous occasions for us at the Conservancy because we get to celebrate the people and projects that maintain the City’s extraordinary architectural heritage,” said Peg Breen, president of the Conservancy. “The time and care that went into completing these projects demonstrate New Yorkers’ commitment to preserving the entire range of the City’s historic architecture.” John Belle, FAIA, a founding partner of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, LLP, received the Preservation Leadership Award for his work in helping New Yorkers see the great urban spaces all around them, waiting to be discovered, restored, and reused, including the South Street Seaport, Grand Central Terminal, Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.
In a career that has spanned over 40 years, he has received three Presidential Design Awards, the nation’s highest design award for public architecture. He joined the Conservancy Board in 1985, served two years as President of the Board, and is now a member of the Conservancy’s Advisory Council. Council Members Lander and Levin received a shared Public Leadership Award for the courage they showed in upholding the City’s Landmarks law and facing down harsh opposition to the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District, Brooklyn.
The Banner Building is mentioned in the video with Peg Breen.
