Lincoln Place Block Association, PS 39 & More Receive Preservation Awards

The Park Slope Civic Council presented the inaugural Evelyn and Everett Ortner Preservation awards at its first meeting of the year, honoring three buildings and a neighborhood organization that have helped preserve the appearance of the neighborhood. Named after Evelyn Ortner (1924-2006) and Everett Ortner (1919-2012), long-time residents of and advocates for the community, these awards also aim to encourage renovations, new construction, and interventions to preserve Park Slope’s appearance in the future.

“The four projects and activities demonstrate quite clearly that renovation and new construction can make a positive contribution to the appearance of Park Slope and other brownstone neighborhoods,” said John Casson, Ortner Awards program administrator, said in a statement. “Hopefully, these examples of excellence in preservation will be emulated by others.”

The first honoree is 107 Prospect Park West, which received the Ortner Award for Exterior Rehabilitation. Built in 1899, the single-family mansion was converted into an apartment house before being abandoned in the 1980s. Horrigan Development purchased it in 2011, mostly gutting the space that by then had holes and water damage on every floor. Following renovation, the building is impressive once again, and now home to five condos.

For its work stopping a building’s adverse expansion plans, the Lincoln Place Block Association received the Ortner Award for Neighborhood Intervention. According to the Park Slope Civic Council, the group “prevented a brownstone on their landmarked block from being expanded in a manner that would have been detrimental to the appearance of their attractive block and backyards.”

One of the oldest continually operating schools in the U.S., PS 39, the Henry Bristow School, received the award for Exterior Restoration. Built in 1877, the school’s exterior had deteriorated to the point of becoming a danger to passersby, so the NYC School Construction Authority brought in Brice Architecture to repair damage while keeping the school’s Victorian look, reconstructing its slate tiled mansard roof, replacing its cornice, fabricating and installing decorative copper work, and more — all while classes were in session.

The award for New Construction went to 319 4th Street, a recently completed new two-family home. Built on a lot where zoning allowed for a much larger structure, joint venture partners Seth Brown of Aspen Equities and Herbert and Gail Solomon went smaller, with a focus on green materials to create “a new energy efficient home that is compatible with the historic houses on this attractive block.”