APPLY for a 2021 Ortner Preservation Award or NOMINATE a potential candidate in 5 categories!
Have you recently restored your historic building? Helped organize a committee to save a piece of Park Slope history? Been part of an initiative for the betterment and beautification of the neighborhood? If so, applications and nominations are being accepted for the Park Slope Civic Council’s 2021 Ortner Park Slope Preservation Awards. Application deadline is March 15, 2021.
Maintaining the past for future generations. The Awards were inaugurated in 2014 to recognize construction projects and interventions that honor the original architecture and maintain the unique identity of Park Slope.
The five categories are:
- EXTERIOR RESTORATION: the repair of and/or duplication of significant architectural details to preserve the integrity of a structure’s decorative and functional elements.
- REHABILITATION OF A HISTORIC STRUCTURE: significant exterior modifications, alterations and/or additions to a building to make it habitable and compatible with its original architectural character.
- ADAPTIVE REUSE: transformation of a building to serve a new purpose while maintaining its architectural integrity, thereby sustaining the unique identity of the neighborhood.
- NEW CONSTRUCTION: design and construction of a new building that, while contemporary, complements the historic character of neighboring structures.
- NEIGHBORHOOD INTERVENTION: action by an individual or group to prevent the demolition or disfigurement of a historic structure, the erection or modification of a building that will have a detrimental effect on the appearance and historic character of Park Slope —Or a group or individual initiative with a focus on community betterment.
The Awards honor Evelyn Ortner (1924-2006) and Everett Ortner (1919-2012), long-time residents of and advocates for the community who, beginning in the 1960s, played a pivotal role in transforming Park Slope – then a neighborhood in decline – into the vibrant community that it is today. The couple also was at the forefront of efforts to prevent the demolition of historic urban neighborhoods, often undertaken by urban renewal programs. By encouraging people to purchase houses in Park Slope and other historic neighborhoods, the Ortners helped these communities regain their social, physical and economic vitality. The couple also played key roles in the creation of the Park Slope Historic District, the largest landmarked district in New York City.
All applications must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- The building or intervention must be within the area bounded by Flatbush Avenue, Plaza Street West, Prospect Park West, the Prospect Expressway and the west side of Fourth Avenue.
- Projects must have been completed between January 1, 2013 and December 1, 2020.
- The project must comply with applicable New York City codes.
- Current Trustees of the Park Slope Civic Council and Ortner Award Jurors are prohibited from having any involvement with any project or intervention that is a candidate for an award.
- Applications for the Ortner Preservation Awards must utilize the application form template that can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
- Applications and supporting material should be submitted no later than March 15, 2021, preferably by e-mail to joerydell@parkslopeciviccouncil.org or by mail to:
Ortner Preservation Awards
Park Slope Civic Council
P.O. Box 172 123 Seventh Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Recipients of the awards will be selected by an independent jury of experts in architecture, historic preservation and community engagement. The awards, which are sponsored by Tarzian Hardware, will be presented at the April 2021 meeting of the Park Slope Civic Council.
Questions about the Ortner Awards can be emailed to Committee Chair John Mazurek at jmazurek15@gmail.com. To download the application form, please click here.