Honoring Excellence <strong>The</strong> Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine
<strong>The</strong> Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards are the <strong>Conservancy</strong>’s highest honors for outstanding preservation efforts and are named after a distinguished <strong>New</strong> <strong>York</strong> philanthropist whose generosity benefited the City for over 50 years. <strong>The</strong> awards ceremony for <strong>2008</strong> was held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. We honored two individuals for their leadership, and nine projects for excellence in preservation. Ruth Abram, the founder and former president of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, was the recipient of our Preservation Leadership Award. For twenty years, Ms. Abram has been an outspoken advocate for the museum and for preservation of the Lower East Side, a community well known for its architectural history and social significance. When new development began to threaten those special qualities, Ruth Abram started a campaign to place the LES on the National Register of Historic Places, and she continues to petition the City for landmark designation, which would protect the neighborhood from demolition and guide alterations and new construction. <strong>The</strong> Honorable Judith S. Kaye, former Chief Judge of the <strong>New</strong> <strong>York</strong> State Court of Appeals, received our Public Leadership Award. After 15 years as chief judge of the highest court in the state (and the first woman in that role), Judge Kaye retired in <strong>2008</strong>. She has been an advocate for preserving the State’s courthouses, and was responsible for many restorations, including the beautiful 1842 Greek Revival Court of Appeals Hall in Albany and the stunning First Appellate Courthouse on Madison Square in Manhattan. <strong>The</strong> following nine projects were also chosen to receive awards: Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, is an icon of modern architecture. While the museum has undergone several renovations, repairs, and additions, this campaign was the first comprehensive treatment of the envelope. Preliminary work included research, documentation, and monitoring; construction involved the removal of 11 coats of paint, infilling of exterior cracks, treatment of corroded steel, and reinforcement of the concrete. This three-year-long restoration project was completed just before the museum’s 50th birthday. <strong>The</strong> Cathedral of St. John the Divine is one of the largest churches in the world, and the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of <strong>New</strong> <strong>York</strong>. In late 2001, a six-alarm fire severely damaged the north transept, destroyed the gift shop, and filled the interior with soot and smoke. A lengthy cleaning and restoration of the interior was undertaken. Seven years after the fire, the congregation and the community celebrated rededication of the Cathedral. Jamaica Performing Arts Center in Queens is an excellent example of adaptive reuse. <strong>The</strong> congregation of the former First Reformed Church in Jamaica was moved from the building in 1973 as part of a City Urban Redevelopment Project, leaving it empty and abandoned. Local arts and community groups and the Queens Borough President started the reuse process in 2004. Today the interior is transformed, with flexible performing arts and community spaces, while the exterior features a restored façade, new slate roof, and shining stained glass windows. <strong>The</strong> finished product shows that historic churches no longer serving a religious function can have a happy second, secular life. <strong>The</strong> Beaux-arts façade of the American Irish Historical Society at 991 Fifth Avenue is glowing again after restoration of the brick and limestone 22
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