Feb. 13, 2023 By Carlotta Mohamed
Six Queens historical institutions are featured in the New York Landmarks Conservancy online exhibition showcasing photography and architectural history of 50 sites throughout the city as part of its 50th anniversary yearlong celebration.
The online exhibition, “50 at 50,” celebrates the nonprofit’s continued determination to save the city’s unique architectural heritage. Through the online exhibition, visitors can experience, borough by borough, the conservancy’s work to preserve not only physical landmarks but also the stories and the history behind them, all woven into the fabric of the city. The exhibition is curated by Donald Albrecht and Thomas Mellins, with contemporary photographs by Noel Sutherland and designs by SJI Associates.
In 1973, The New York Landmarks Conservancy’s visionary founders realized that designation alone wouldn’t always save a building, and they saw the need for a group with financial and technical skills to help property owners maintain their historic structures.
They also sought a group that could devote the time required to pull off major preservation projects. From its gutsy beginnings finding new uses for vacant public buildings, the conservancy has become one of the largest preservation groups in the country. The conservancy’s range of financial and technical programs has helped maintain more than 1,300 historic structures, providing more than $60 million in grants and loans which has leveraged $900 million to preserve worthy buildings and neighborhoods.
In addition to the “50 at 50” exhibition, the conservancy will produce a lively summary of its 50 years in an online and print magazine compiled by Architectural Historian Anthony Robins and plans are underway to visit each Borough Hall to focus on loans, grants and projects in each borough, as well as special events to mark the yearlong celebration.
Here are the six Queens institutions featured in the conservancy’s “50 at 50” online exhibition:
(Bowne House/Photo by Noel Sutherland)
Flushing Friends Meeting House
(Flushing Friends Meeting House/Photo by Noel Sutherland)
Church of the Most Precious Blood in Astoria
(Church of the Most Precious Blood/Photo by Noel Sutherland)
Congregation Tifereth Israel in Corona
The Congregation Tifereth Israel (Photo by Noel Sutherland)
Conrad Poppenhusen Institute in College Point
(The Poppenhusen Institute/Photo by Noel Sutherland)
TWA Flight Center & Hotel at JFK International Airport
(TWA Flight Center and Hotel/Photo by Noel Sutherland)