Preservation Awards 2005
Eric and Paul Silverman of Majestic Urban Renewal, LLC
Excellence in Preservation Award
Eric and Paul Silverman of Majestic Urban Renewal, LLC, for the historically sensitive adaptive reuse of the 1907 Majestic Theatre at 275 Grove St. in Downtown Jersey City. The Silvermans, who have been redeveloping historic buildings in Jersey City for 25 years, saved the surviving lobby of the former vaudeville and moving picture house, including original mosaic tiles, double vestibule doors and a main staircase. Using vintage postcards and old photographs, the Silvermans utilized the renowned artisan firms of W. F. Normand and Felber Ornamental Plaster to replicate missing metal cornicing, lion's heads, a gabled marquee and plaster angels.
Greentree Construction
Excellence in Preservation Award
Greentree Construction for the historically sensitive adaptive reuse of the former T. H. Eckerson/J. Leo Cooke food distribution warehouse at 140 Bay St. in the Warehouse Historic District in Downtown Jersey City. Erected in 1913, the six-story concrete and brick veneer building has been transformed into 59 residential condominiums, commercial space and artists lofts. The transformation was carried out by the Jersey City-based architectural firm of Lindemon Winckelmann Deupree Martin & Associates, PC.
Dr. Howard Siegel
Excellence in Preservation Award
Dr. Howard Siegel for the historically sensitive restoration of 7 Kensington Ave. in the West Bergen section of Jersey City. The Queen Anne mansion, a resplendent anchor in the neighborhood since 1897, took almost 18 years to restore. The interior contains original woodwork, moldings, mantels, four fireplaces and 12 stained-glass windows. Darren Swazo, a local artist and interior designer, used computerized paint palettes and Victorian design books to come up with historically accurate color schemes for the multi-roofed exterior.
Andrzej Lech
J. Owen Grundy History Award
Andrzej Lech in recognition of his masterly photographic documentation of Jersey City's historic sites. Named after Jersey City's late historian, the award this year to Lech sends a profound, strong statement to the preservation community: that Lech, a native of Poland and resident of Jersey City since 1989, is a new type of historian - visual, poetic, sublime, sage-like. Lech's haunting pin-hole and panoramic views - captured by heavy antique large-format cameras - are filled with the stark structural shadows of forlorn factories, smokestacks, canals, tenements. His photographic portfolio, which continues to grow, acts as a record of changing - and vanishing - landscapes.
Cynthia Harris
Preservation Initiative Award
Cynthia Harris for her stewardship over and upkeep of the New Jersey Room archives collection at the main branch of the Jersey City Free Public Library in Downtown Jersey City. Harris's passion for history is infectious and inspiring to all historians, architects, educators, students and regular citizens who visit the rare archives. Despite serious health problems, she remains committed to the room, spending countless hours cataloging, organizing, storing and cleaning collections that date back as far as the mid-1600s. Harris - a rarity herself - has a special bond with history, often thinking as she reads names or views pictures of people who lived in Jersey City ages ago: "You're not forgotten."
Steve Latham and the Jersey City Reservoir Preservation Alliance
Theodore Conrad Preservationist Award
Steve Latham and the Jersey City Reservoir Preservation Alliance for their grassroots advocacy and educational efforts to protect, preserve and promote Reservoir No. 3 on Summit Avenue in the Jersey City Heights. Named after Jersey City's late preeminent preservationist, the award recognizes that Latham and his colleagues - Vincent MacNamara, Pat Mangini, Miriam Faugno, Cynthia Hadjiyannis, Nannette Jacobs, Caroline Katz, Laura Skolar, Michael Yun, Mike Selender, Maureen Crowley, Clif Steinbring, Sam Pesin, Hugh Carola and Capt. Bill Sheehan among them - have worked tirelessly to educate and inform the populace about the architectural, historical and natural significance of the former 1871 Egyptian Revival-style waterworks service station. Despite looming threats of being drained and developed, the Alliance, in true grassroots fashion, continues to fight for the serene nature sanctuary that has emerged - some say miraculously - in Jersey City.