FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 19, 2020 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 35
Bayside’s Fort Totten Park building receives
Excellence in Historic Preservation Award
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e Restoration and Adaptive Reuse
of Building 207 in Bayside’s Fort Totten
Park has been named one of this year’s
Excellence in Historic Preservation award
winners by the Preservation League of
New York State.
Since 1984, the Preservation League’s
statewide awards program has highlighted
projects, organizations, publications
and individuals that exemplify best practices
in historic preservation. Th e organization
recognizes the people who are
using historic preservation to build stronger
neighborhoods, create local jobs, provide
aff ordable housing and save places
that are special to the public.
Th is year’s nominations were particularly
strong – so much so that the jury was
compelled to award nine projects instead
of the usual eight.
“Bringing this abandoned building back
to life involved a remarkable public-private
partnership, involving several city and state
agencies, guided by the Parks Department
staff ,” said Jay DiLorenzo, president of
the Preservation League. “Th e Center for
the Women of New York and Page Ayres
Cowley Architects were wonderful stewards
to bring this site back to active use.”
Building 207 was built in 1905. It is one
of 80 purpose-built structures to house
offi cers and soldiers, and one of over 100
buildings located within the 136-acre historic
district Fort Totten Park in Bayside.
Th e building had been vacant since
1969, before the Center for the Women of
New York negotiated with the NYC Parks
Department to turn it into their new
headquarters in 2002.
Page Ayres Cowley Architecture LLC,
the fi rm that led the restoration work,
did a remarkable job adapting this site for
modern, everyday use. Original details
including fi replaces, built-in bookcases,
pocket doors and tin ceilings were
restored, while modern modifi cations
made the building ADA-accessible.
“We typically research a building’s history
to determine the extent of building
and detail loss by seeking out earlier photographs.
For this project, we knew this
building was special when we found a postcard
with a woman on horseback riding in
front of the newly built Offi cer’s Quarters,”
said Page Cowley, principal of Page Ayres
Cowley Architecture. “What is equally
rewarding is the extent of professionalism,
teamwork and public support to bring this
building back to its original appearance.”
Th e restoration and adaptive reuse of
Building 207 was funded in part by the
New York State Legislature, the Queens
borough president’s offi ce and the New
York City Council.
Th e nine projects honored this year are
strikingly diff erent, but one thing that links
them all is the connection they have to their
respective communities, the League said.
“It reminds us that preservation is about
people as much as it is about buildings.
Good preservation takes care of our built
environment, but it also takes care of our
cities, towns and neighbors,” the League
said. “Considering the year we’ve all had,
it’s a nice change of pace to celebrate these
successes – and remember how our fi eld
of historic preservation can bring us all
together, even when we are far apart.”
Courtesy of Preservation League
Building 207 Exhibition and Board Room.
Courtesy of Preservation League
Building 207 multi-purpose space.
buzz
Courtesy of the Preservation League of NYS
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