NEW YORK, NY.- The New York Landmarks Conservancy has announced the winners of the 2026 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards, the Conservancy’s highest honors for excellence in preservation. The Award recipients demonstrate outstanding and challenging preservation projects that occur throughout the City. The Awards Ceremony will take place on April 16th at The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan.

The Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards recognize individuals, organizations, architects, craftspeople, and building owners for their extraordinary contributions to preserving the City. The Conservancy is grateful for the generous support of the Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, which makes the Awards possible.

“The Lucys introduce you to great preservation work, and the amazing people who made it happen. It’s an uplifting celebration--and a great party to boot!,” said Peg Breen, President of The New York Landmarks Conservancy.

The 2026 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Project Award recipients include: 611 West 112th Street; 867 Madison Avenue; DUMBO/Vinegar Hill Street Reconstruction; The Frick Collection; The Gregory; Hamilton Fish House; Mary of Nazareth Parish—Sacred Heart Church; The National Arts Club; Poppenhusen Institute; The Riverside Church; Terminal Warehouse, and Waldorf Astoria New York.

Warrie Price will receive the 2026 Preservation Leadership Award in honor of her work to restore The Battery. Price founded The Battery Conservancy and served as its President for 31 years, retiring in 2025. In that time, she transformed the City’s oldest public park from a derelict site into a beloved urban landscape. Sarah Carroll will receive the 2026 Public Leadership in Preservation Award. In 2025, Carroll retired from the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission after a 31-year career, which culminated in her tenure as Chair of the Commission, the largest municipal preservation agency in the nation.

The 2026 Preservation Organization Award goes to the Central Park Conservancy for decades of restoring and maintaining one of New York’s largest landmarks, Central Park, and the many historic buildings within the Park.

2026 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Project Award recipients include:

611 West 112th Street in Manhattan

611 West 112th Street has been meticulously restored and adaptively reused as a student residence, the first all-electric and LEED Gold (tracking) residential building in the Columbia University portfolio. The seven-story apartment building was built in 1903–04 and was later converted into an SRO hotel. After it closed in the early 2000s, the property sat vacant and deteriorating for nearly two decades. Columbia acquired the property, which is in the Morningside Heights Historic District in 2022. Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners oversaw the project.

The comprehensive renovation included full replacement of floors, windows, and the roof structure. The brick, limestone, and terracotta facade was cleaned, and missing or damaged materials were replaced in kind to match the original fabric. Decayed wood pilasters were replaced in mahogany and profiled to match historic precedent. Double-glazed, aluminum-framed windows that match the original windows were installed, even though the original windows had been removed prior to project start and historic records were limited.

Inside, there are 160 new student beds. The building has also been made fully accessible for the first time, and features three courtyards. A fully electric building systems strategy eliminates on-site fossil fuel use and supports the project’s sustainability goals. A green roof enhances insulation, reduces heat island effect, and contributes toward the LEED Gold certification target.

This transformative adaptive reuse represents the largest addition to Columbia's housing portfolio in 20 years, reimagining what modern student housing can be while preserving the architectural heritage of Morningside Heights.

867 Madison Avenue in Manhattan

The Ralph Lauren Corporation (RLC) receives an award for restoration of the former Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo mansion, home to one of its flagship stores since 1985.

867 Madison Avenue is one of the few remaining examples of the neo-French Renaissance revival style of architecture favored by New York’s social elite at the end of the 19th century. The building, which anchors the corner of Madison Avenue and 72nd Street, dates to 1894. It is constructed of limestone with a picturesque red slate roof defined by tall, ornamented copper ridge caps and finials and ornamental copper gutters.

Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo, a member of one of New York’s old and established families, commissioned architects Kimball & Thompson to design and build this elegant five-story mansion styled after the great 16th century chateaux of the Loire Valley. She never moved in, but in 1985 Ralph Lauren selected the mansion for his flagship men’s store in North America. A multi-million-dollar restoration and adaptive use project transformed it into elegant retail spaces.

Forty years later, the red tile roof and limestone façade were in need of repair and restoration. Architecture firm HLZAE, Inc. started work in 2019, reviewing the condition of the roof due when active leaks appeared at the upper floors. It was determined that the slate roof, at nearly 130 years old, was past its useful life and that there were significant areas of limestone deterioration.

A new 100-year red slate roof that matches the original was installed, including replacement of a section of faux slate tiles installed in the 1980s. The copper drainage system was replaced as needed, but ornamental elements were conserved and reinstalled. Historic wood windows were rebuilt and reinstalled with new copper cladding to match the historic appearance. The limestone façade was cleaned and repaired, and long-missing decorative details were replaced.

This project has repaired and conserved the building envelope to ensure a watertight, beautifully maintained building that retains its historic patina.

DUMBO/Vinegar Hill Street Reconstruction in Brooklyn

New York City’s biggest street reconstruction project has brought 26 blocks of streets and sidewalks within Brooklyn’s DUMBO and Vinegar Hill Historic Districts up to date, while keeping their historic charm.

The DUMBO Historic District is located along Brooklyn’s East River waterfront. During much of the 19th and 20th centuries, the area was home to large industrial businesses. Today, homes and businesses have replaced manufacturing. The adjacent Vinegar Hill Historic District, which is comprised of three small groups of brick, Greek-Revival row houses, is a residential remnant of the early 19th-century neighborhood that occupied the blocks between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

As these neighborhoods evolved, the streets and sidewalks retained original granite Belgian block paving, bluestone sidewalks, historic granite crosswalks, and a network of train tracks, running along the streets and into buildings. These features contribute to the Districts’ unique sense of place, but after decades of intensive use, they were in poor condition.

When underground utilities needed to be renewed, all of the historic street surfaces were removed. The design team, which consisted of engineering firm, AECOM, the NYC Department of Transportation, and the NYC Department of Design and Construction, ensured that historic materials were returned to their original locations when possible, that new materials matched the old, and that new features, such as bike lanes and a central plaza, used historically sympathetic designs and materials.

Great care was taken to reuse historic materials in their original locations and match them if necessary. Historically appropriate street pavements, curbs, crosswalks, and sidewalks were installed. Even the tracks of the long-defunct Jay Street Connecting Railway were salvaged, stored, and reinstalled.

This extraordinary endeavor has improved these historic streets, while retaining the character that has drawn so many to this Brooklyn neighborhood.

The Frick Collection in Manhattan

This award recognizes the first comprehensive upgrade of The Frick Collection in nearly ninety years. The stunning results add gallery and amenity space, ease circulation, improve accessibility, and upgrade systems, while maintaining the institution’s Gilded Age splendor.

Founded by industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, The Frick Collection is housed in his 1914 mansion, designed by Carrère and Hastings. The residence was converted to a museum by John Russell Pope and opened to the public in 1935. At the same time, the Frick Art Research Library, established more than a century ago by Helen Clay Frick, daughter of the museum’s founder, was reopened in an expanded building also designed by Pope. In 1977, the institution further improved its facilities and added the renowned garden designed by landscape architect Russell Page.

Today, the Frick is internationally renowned for its intimate galleries and distinguished collection of Old Master paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts, offering the rare experience of viewing art within a historic domestic setting. In 2016 the Frick selected Selldorf Architects to design a plan to introduce new space, and subsequently tapped Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners to serve as executive architect. The firm collaborated on this renovation and enhancement, while the Frick’s team of curators and conservators led the interior restoration of the mansion itself. The endeavor’s scope was expanded to include a façade restoration by Walter B. Melvin Architects.

Throughout the first-floor galleries, architectural woodwork, stone, plaster, and bronze have been carefully conserved. Textiles and wallcoverings were recreated by Prelle, the firm in Lyons France, that served the Frick family a century ago. A key feature of the project was the conversion of the second-floor offices, once private living quarters of the Frick family, into a suite of galleries. Preservation of ceiling murals, elaborate woodwork, and marble fireplaces, have provided a remarkable setting for showing significantly more of the collection, while lighting systems through both floors of galleries have been upgraded as well.

An addition to adjacent Frick Art Research Library increases space and connects museum and library spaces. Designed in a contemporary style, the limestone façade matches the historic mansion. An enlarged museum reception hall offers access to the galleries and a new shop and café. Underground, there is a new 218-seat performance and lecture space, and outdoors, the restoration of the 70th Street Garden reawakens Russell Page’s vision and renews a cherished urban treasure.

This project renews the 1914 Frick home and ensures that the institution may continue to welcome, enlighten, and uplift visitors for generations to come. The City of New York contributed to this project with support from the New York City Council and the Manhattan Borough President (Gale Brewer).

The Gregory in Brooklyn

This vacant, former school building in the Crown Heights North Historic District has been converted to 40 market rate and affordable apartments, showing how preservation and reuse can contribute to the housing market. Originally constructed in 1921 as St. Gregory the Great School by the renowned New York City architects Helme & Corbett, this building stood for decades as both a civic and architectural cornerstone of this Crown Heights North neighborhood.

After years of deferred maintenance, it fell into disrepair and was forced to close its doors in the middle of the school year, leaving the neighborhood without a once vibrant landmark and local students without a school. In 2018, after over a decade of neglect, developer GEMA conceived a plan to restore and redevelop the landmarked schoolhouse into rental apartments. Thoughtfully executed by PKSB Architects, the redevelopment converted the 41,900-square-foot structure into a multifamily residence, with 30% of its 40 units dedicated to affordable housing.

As work began, the building, though severely deteriorated, showed incredible “bones.” The scope of the project included a complete structural overhaul and full façade restoration, including reconstruction of a missing gabled parapet. Salvaged façade materials were cleaned, stored and reused wherever possible, reducing carbon emissions and construction waste.

Sensitive additions at the rear and rooftop complement the scale and materiality of the historic schoolhouse and respect the adjacent St. Gregory the Great Church, an anchor of the neighborhood. The gut rehabilitation of the interior created apartments that recall the building’s original sense of grandeur, with 13’ high ceilings and expansive windows.

The re-imagination of the historic structure both restores original features and adds quality affordable housing to this Crown Heights neighborhood. The Gregory is an exemplar of how adaptive reuse development can both preserve and evolve New York City’s architectural legacy. The project demonstrates excellence in the restoration, preservation, and adaptive use of a historic building by promoting urban vitality, demonstrating responsible land use, and implementing sustainable strategies to create positive community impact.

Hamilton Fish House in Manhattan

The Hamilton Fish House is a rare, surviving Federal Style townhouse, with elegant proportions, architectural restraint, and deep ties to New York City (and Hamilton) history. Now serving as the President’s House for Cooper Union, it has been restored and made watertight, with many historic elements returned.

The House was built on land the Dutch West India Company granted to Peter Stuyvesant in 1651 and was commissioned for Peter’s great-great-granddaughter Elizabeth in 1803. Elizabeth’s husband Nicholas Fish served in the Revolutionary War and was close friends with Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette; the Fishes hosted Lafayette at their home in 1824. This was among the first buildings that the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designated in 1965.

After many uses and many owners, the house was donated to Cooper Union in the 1990s. This project was designed to improve on previous repairs that had begun to fail.

The first priorities were to address immediate water infiltration and complete life safety repairs. Then, historic features were restored. Flemish bond brick facades were repointed and the deteriorated brownstone repaired. The brownstone stoop was in poor condition, structurally unstable, and covered with a deteriorated coating. It was rebuilt in cast stone, tinted to match the historic brownstone and its traditional tread profiles, much of which had previously been lost.

The new slate roof features arched dormers, windows reconstructed with copper roofs, and painted wood trim that match the original. Non-original windows in poor condition were replaced with new, energy efficient wood windows, meticulously detailed to match the historic dimensions and operation. New, painted wood shutters with historic detailing and cast-iron shutter dog hardware complete the improvements.

This restoration maintained historic features, materials, and detailing and replicated those that were lost, improving on past restoration campaigns. It served to meet the current and long-term needs of the institution while honoring the building’s legacy and protecting it for future decades of its long history.

Mary of Nazareth Parish-Sacred Heart Church in Brooklyn

This majestic 1877 Gothic Revival church near the Brooklyn Navy Yard was designed by Thomas F. Houghton, a former chief draftsman for Patrick Keely, the leading Catholic Church designer of the era. The church exemplifies late 19th-century Gothic Revival religious architecture with robust brick masonry walls, limestone accents, clerestory windows, decorative wood framing, and stained glass windows.

It has been a neighborhood anchor for nearly 150 years, but by 2023, like many historic religious buildings, it faced typical age-related deterioration. Recognizing the building’s architectural significance and the need to stabilize its envelope, the parish engaged Zaskorski & Associates Architects AIA to undertake this critical work.

The deteriorated front façade and side brick masonry parapets were rebuilt. Inappropriate paint was removed and the bricks repointed. Demolition and reconstruction included removal of original bluestone/limestone copings and replacement with matching cast stone.

All elements of the historic church were improved. Wood frame, clerestory, and stained glass windows were repaired and rebuilt. The monumental rose window was found to be in poor condition, so it was reconstructed with mahogany, and the conserved stained glass reinstalled. Failing roofs were replaced and made watertight. The 150-year old wooden doors at the front entrance were restored.

The scope reflects a holistic, investigation and conservation -driven approach—prioritizing stabilization of the historic envelope while incorporating sensitive upgrades to ensure long-term viability. All components and materials and assemblies were faithfully preserved so that Mary of Nazareth Parish-Sacred Heart Church could continue to be a beacon of light for its community .

In an age when many historic churches face deferred maintenance or closure, this project illustrates successful, faith-driven preservation—blending architectural expertise with community commitment to safeguard New York’s rich ecclesiastical legacy.

The National Arts Club

The stunning restoration of The National Arts Club’s grand Victorian Gothic façade has secured the building’s envelope and brought back enchanting decorative details lost over time. Renowned architect Calvert Vaux designed the six-story, asymmetrical façade when he combined two houses owned by Samuel J. Tilden, the former governor of New York, circa 1881. It is clad with red sandstone, brown sandstone, and black granite, and features carvings and sculpted reliefs celebrating nature and prominent writers, artists, and philosophers.

Years of deterioration and previous unsuccessful repairs had left the building in poor condition, with significant water infiltration, deteriorated ornament, and structural concerns. In 2015 new leadership at the Club brought in Bone/Levine Architects for an assessment of the exterior and to oversee basic repairs and waterproofing. This led to a 2017 conditions report, which was used as a tool for planning and fundraising for the comprehensive façade restoration project. A decade later, the façade is stable, with every element intact.

The work called for cleaning and removal of bio-growth from the existing façade, extensive masonry repairs, and repointing. When stones could not be repaired, they were replaced with units sourced from quarries in Canada and Scotland that match the original stone. The replacement stones were cut and worked by laser and finished by the hands of skilled artisans to exactly replicate the original carvings.

Now that the magnificent façade is secured and restored, passersby can once again search it for carvings of birds, critters, and plants, and portraits of Shakespeare, Milton, Goethe, Dante, Michelangelo, and Benjamin Franklin.

Failing bronze railings were transported to a metal restoration shop, where they were disassembled. Missing components, such as floral finials and rails, were replicated in cast bronze. The bronze was cleaned and polished to the desired level, and left uncoated to allow for natural aging and simple maintenance methods.

Wood windows which had been damaged by water infiltration were replaced along with the top floor studio metal windows. All replacements upgraded these windows to energy efficient units, restoring the original configuration while retaining narrow sidelines. A comprehensive waterproofing system was installed, to ensure the building’s integrity for generations.

This project was made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional support was provided by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Poppenhusen Institute in Queens

The Poppenhusen Institute in College Point is a rare and highly intact civic building dating to 1868, constructed by German immigrant and philanthropist Conrad Poppenhusen as a cultural and educational anchor for the surrounding community. Among the defining features are the series of tall, arched window openings that culminate in the Grand Hall’s monumental 20-foot-tall windows.

The handsome building reflects the era’s commitment to public enrichment through architecture, but over time, weather exposure and material aging resulted in deterioration to the building envelope.

In response, this project comprised comprehensive, building-wide exterior restoration and targeted interior finishes, with a focus on historically accurate repair and replacement. All 97 windows have been expertly replaced with custom, double-hung wood windows that replicate original profiles, brickmolds, proportions, and historic finish. Decorative wood elements at all dormers were rebuilt in-kind, and new flashing was installed to improve long-term performance while remaining visually discreet.

Historic masonry openings were restored by removing later brick infill. Wood door surrounds and transom frames were painted. At the south façade, a deteriorated rear wood door was replaced with a historically accurate, barrier-free entry that matches the original configuration and detailing, incorporating an automatic door operator and required signage.

Interior work included plaster repair and repainting of wood window trim to ensure continuity between exterior restoration and interior character.

CTA Architects worked with the City’s Department of Design and Construction to complete this impressive work. This restoration project has succeeded in preserving the Institute’s historic character while ensuring its continued functionality, accessibility, and long-term durability as a public landmark.

The Riverside Church

Located in Morningside Heights on a high bluff overlooking the Hudson River, and often referred to informally as “Riverside Cathedral,” The Riverside Church is one of the most recognizable religious buildings in New York City. An epic stained glass project has restored more than 70 historic windows and secured the limestone façade of this glorious landmark church.

Built between 1927 and 1930, Riverside was modeled on French Gothic structures, particularly the 13th century cathedral at Chartres. In the years leading up to the Church’s design, there was a revival of interest in medieval, mosaic-style glass. French glassmakers from Reims Cathedral and Chartres, as well as American masters, produced Riverside’s windows. Inspired by Chartres, the stained glass is set into medieval-style iron frames called ferramenta, an unusual feature in 20th century American churches.

There have been few alterations to the well-built and well-maintained building; however, by 2019, years of natural weathering had taken its toll. The Church retained stained glass consultant Julie Sloan and Walter B. Melvin Architects to oversee a project centered around the restoration and protection of the monumental stained-glass windows at the church nave. An analysis showed that windows were suffering from soft and deteriorated lead, bowed panels, missing and broken glass.

Stained-glass windows were removed and repaired at five studios across the northeast US. The studios dismantled the windows, replaced the lead came, and repaired or replaced broken glass. The complex patterns of the ferramenta were precisely replicated in new blackened stainless steel protective glazing frames.

The sheer size of the project is remarkable. In total, 30 monumental lancet windows, 32 smaller lancet windows, and 12 rose windows were restored. This is estimated to be 6,917 square feet of stained glass and 662,262 individual pieces of glass!

The grand limestone façade was cleaned and repaired while cracked limestone tracery was treated with surgical micro-grout injections, stainless steel staples, and hand-crafted stone patches.

This award commends The Riverside Church for their stewardship of a iconic historic religious property that expresses the Church’s mission, and serves as a neighborhood anchor and national landmark.

Terminal Warehouse in Manhattan

West Chelsea’s Terminal Warehouse has been converted from storage space into a work and retail destination, in one of the largest adaptive reuse efforts in New York City’s recent history.

The massive, full-block building opened in 1891, arranged around a rail line that ran through its center. Later years saw the structure cycle through new lives: commercial storage, self-storage, and, memorably, the Tunnel nightclub.

In 2019, architecture firm COOKFOX presented a plan to reactivate the structure as a work-and-shopping destination while preserving and restoring defining industrial elements—brick, timber beams, arched windows, and iron. Construction began in 2020, just as the pandemic raised questions about the future of commercial office space.

Nonetheless, the former freight facility was carefully rehabilitated while integrating new and rebuilt office floors above ground-level retail and public spaces. Selective demolition carved out a new central courtyard, and the historic “tunnel” was reactivated as a public-facing retail corridor. A six-story addition has a steel structure that evokes the historic rail network.

The design retained the building’s defining elements—3.2 acres of brick masonry, 756 intricate multi-light arched windows, and 338 pairs of iron shutters, alongside a rare heavy-timber structure with some pieces dated to 1512.

Several defining features that had been lost, such as brick corbeling, fire shutters, and corner towers, were re-established. Others that were too deteriorated to be reused or no longer extant were replicated for full unit replacement. These included bronze scupper covers, decorative terra cotta spandrel panels, cast iron tieback plates, and metal building numbers and letters. At the ground-floor, unsympathetic storefronts were removed, restoring prominence to these monumental openings. Metal awnings and marquees were restored at side street facades.

Restoring Terminal Warehouse meant also saving the work, craftsmanship and ingenuity of past generations of New Yorkers, who fueled the city’s growth. This project sets a benchmark: preservation-forward, engineering-led, carbon-smart, and publicly legible—a second life for a great industrial building that does not erase its first.

Waldorf Astoria New York

The Waldorf Astoria New York has undergone a fabulous rehabilitation that recaptures its original splendor, revitalizes its interior public spaces and transforms its upper floors into a boutique hotel and residences.

The 1931 hotel was designed by Schultze & Weaver. It quickly became a symbol of Art Deco style and New York culture, with grand rooms and walls, floors and ceilings decorated with exotic woods and stone, and painted murals. But years of alterations had changed the look and feel of the original design. In 2017, the hotel closed its doors to prepare for its next chapter.

Nearly a decade later, it has reopened. The rehabilitation, led by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, peeled back layers of the hotel’s history, reinstated the historic character of the building, and introduced contemporary amenities and infrastructure. Working from primary source materials, including Schultze & Weaver’s original specification book and drawings, and early photographs, missing design elements were reinstated throughout the building.

Extensive public spaces on the lower floors have all been restored and improved. This includes grand entrance lobbies at Park and Lexington Avenues, gathering and circulation spaces such as Peacock Alley and the East Arcade, and the Main Lobby, notable for its 1893 World’s Fair clock. The project has reinstated the lower floor’s symmetrical design, spanning from Park to Lex. Some 25,000 historic light fixtures were salvaged, repaired and restored off-site and reinstalled in their historic locations.

Landmarked interiors upstairs received similar treatment. In the glamorous Silver Corridor, layers of damaging varnish were meticulously removed from 19th-century murals. Once darkened by decades of smoke, the walls of mirrors were restored and the chandeliers refurbished. In the Basildon Room, the colorful walls and ceiling had been painted over and murals, salvaged from an English estate, had faded. A 1930s postcard from Waldorf Astoria New York’s own archive provided a peek into what the room may have originally looked like. The murals were fully restored offsite and reinstalled, and the original polychrome color scheme was reinstated. At the Grand Ballroom, modifications to improve performance and acoustics were married with the restoration of the original décor. In all of these spaces, new systems were thoughtfully integrated, to bring the building up to code and support modern hotel use.

Outside, the limestone façade was cleaned and repaired, and nearly 5,600 new windows precisely match long-lost originals. At the top of the building, mechanical equipment was removed from the setbacks, and the copper-domed cupolas were fully restored.

This remarkable endeavor has reinvented the Waldorf Astoria New York for modern use, looking to both the past and the future.

Central Park Conservancy Receives 2026 Preservation Organization Award

Central Park Conservancy receives 2026 Preservation Organization Award. Central Park was first established in 1858 to address the recreational needs of the rapidly growing City. Its original purpose was to offer urban dwellers an experience of the countryside, a place to escape from the stresses of urban life and to commune with nature and fellow New Yorkers. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it was an immediate triumph and continues to serve that purpose today, under the stewardship of the Central Park Conservancy.

A group of citizens established the Conservancy in 1980, to restore the Park in partnership with the City, following a period of extreme deterioration. The organization has achieved extraordinary success, reaching back to Vaux and Olmsted’s historic design to restore the Park’s lawns and woods.

Over 42 million New Yorkers and tourists from around the world visit the Park every year to enjoy pastoral greenery, views of Manhattan high rises, and historic structures including Belvedere Castle and the Obelisk (previous Moses Award recipients); wood-clad cottages such as the Dairy; Victorian Gothic stone-clad structures such as the Delacorte restrooms; Bow Bridge and Gothic Bridge; Bethesda Terrace; and post-modern gems Ballfields Café and Charles A. Dana Discovery Center.

A recent initiative highlights the once-forgotten history of Seneca Village, a predominantly African-American community that was displaced by the Park’s construction.

The dedicated Conservancy staff maintains the historic structures, oversees work to make them accessible to all, and takes care that new construction, such as the Davis Center in Harlem Meer, fits into the context of the historic Park setting. Their ongoing work ensures that Central Park and its historic buildings will endure for future generations to enjoy.