Principal Angel Ayón serves on Docomomo US 2022 Modernism in America Awards jury

Principal Angel Ayón has the honor of joining six esteemed colleagues serving as the Docomomo US 2022 Modernism in America Awards jury. The only national awards program of its kind, the Modernism in America Awards is now in its ninth year and recognizes efforts to preserve our modern heritage in three categories: Design, Inventory/Survey, and Advocacy.

 Angel will join chair Henry Moss, AIA, LEED AP, Principal at Bruner/Cott & Associates and founder of Docomomo US/New England; Caroline Constant, professor of architecture emerita at the University of Michigan and a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome;

Glenn LaRue Smith, FASLA, Co-founder and Principal of PUSH studio; Susan Macdonald, ICCROM, RIBA, PIA, Head of the Buildings and Sites Department at the Getty Conservation Institute; and Docomomo US Directors Theodore Prudon and Meredith Bzdak.

 The Awards will go to building owners, design teams, and advocacy and preservation organizations that champion the aesthetic and cultural value of modern buildings, structures and landscapes built in the United States or on U.S. territory. These can range from iconic monuments and regional masterpieces to the modern house next door.

 Hurry and get your entry in; submissions are due June 10th!

Telling the Full History – A Bright Light for Marginalized Communities

Image courtesy of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

For over 25 years, architect and preservationist Angel Ayón, principal of AYON Studio, has advocated for and designed with the idea that conserving our built cultural heritage for future generations is a responsibility, not a choice. Therefore, when he was asked to serve as a Selection Committee member for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s (NTHP) Telling the Full History Preservation Fund program, he knew it was both an honor and a mission.

NTHP created the Telling the Full History grant program, together with National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021. The program helps interpret and preserve historic places of importance to underrepresented communities across states and territories of the United States.

With this mission in mind, Angel, along with the other members of the Committee, went about reviewing, scoring and commenting on the applications submitted. Ultimately, $2.5 million in grants were awarded across 39 states to 80 grantees. Their inspiring stories reflected compelling places, showcasing the multi-layered intersections of underrepresented communities. What's more, they model innovative approaches and inclusive participation, and are particularly relevant to our challenging times and the need to reckon with history and legacies.

Angel’s investment of time and effort in this selection was truly a passion project, perfectly aligning with AYON Studio’s fundamental values and culture. The process was exhilarating, profound and offered great hope for the future of the untold stories of the underrepresented communities that have helped to shape our built environment.

On the Demolition of the historic Harlem Hospital Women’s Pavilion

Phil Greitzer/New York Daily News Archive, via Getty Images

Principal Angel Ayón was quoted in the Columbia Daily Spectator about the impending demolition of the former Harlem Hospital Women’s Pavilion, which holds notable historic significance as the medical facility where Martin Luther King Jr. was rushed to and treated for a stab wound in 1958.

 New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation plans to turn the site into an all-new community health lab, with no preservation of the original building, which could have been adaptively reused to accommodate the needed services. “There is no reason anyone would have to argue that these new services are incompatible with the existing building,” Ayón said. “Of course that building could have been saved for labs and for whatever else is required. I see no reason why this wouldn’t have been done.”

 Ayón further noted that the existing building is structurally sound, and likely could have been preserved, even added to for increased capacity, at less cost than taking it down and rebuilding on the site. Referring to the slow demolition process, Ayón added, “This is slow dying. This is not ‘I’m going to kill you at once.’ This is ‘I’m going to let you bleed and watch you die.’ That’s really what it is, and that is just a way to add insult to injury in the middle of what has been happening in Harlem for too many years—where there’s been a significant amount of lack of investment and meaningful protections.”

 According to the article, CB10 has formally rejected the rezoning proposal of the Women’s Pavilion site, and several community activists and groups are still working to save it.

Discussing the Significance of Caribbean culture “In the Heights”

The Broadway show and movie musical, In The Heights, featuring music and lyrics by award-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, has become a hit around the world. Offering a unique glimpse into the history and culture of Washington Heights, one of the largest Latin American enclaves in NYC, the authenticity of place was critical to the movie’s success.

On Thursday, March 31, AYON Studio Principal Angel Ayón joined the movie’s Location Manager, Samson Jacobson, in a conversation hosted by the Historic Districts Council. Their discussion explored the logistics of the production, which showcases the neighborhood's unique urban sites, open spaces, transportation facilities, and recreational venues, and how they depict the neighborhood’s unmatched vitality and its connection to the vibrant Caribbean culture and music that has flourished there.

With a variety of characters representing the stories of many Caribbean immigrants, In The Heights portrays the residents’ unique way of life, and celebrates the special ways in which the culture they brought with them has enriched that of New York City itself.

Click here to replay the event in You Tube.

Spreading the Word about “The Impact of Preservation” with AIA Brooklyn Members

On Wednesday, March 23rd, Principal Angel Ayón moderated a discussion about how preservation can make a measurable positive impact on community and help foster more equitable, participative and sustainable historic buildings and districts. He was joined by panelists Andrea Goldwyn, Director of Public Policy at The New York Landmarks Conservancy; Tiffani Simple, Principal of Simple Design Studio Architects; and Claudette Brady, co-founder of The Bedford Stuyvesant Society for Historic Preservation.  The main question posed to the panel was how Historic Preservation can continue to position itself as a guiding practice to face the challenges of today regarding representation, diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, undoing racism, decarbonization, climate resiliency, social justice, affordability, housing and world peace. The panelists discussed not only how Preservation has been an impactful force within the history, development and evolution of New York City, and also how it can continue to do so. In Angel's words, part of the challenge is figuring out how Historic Preservation "can be more impactful on the communities that it is meant to save and protect." You can watch the panel discussion here.

Teaching Pratt Preservation Students about the advantages of Adaptive Reuse

Much of NYC’s architectural history is found in its cultural buildings. Unfortunately, however, many of them have also fallen into various states of disuse and disrepair over the last several decades. But that doesn’t mean they’re obsolete. Finding ways to creatively adapt and reuse these structures for evolving programs and future purposes is not only more sustainable than building new – it also helps preserve much of what NYers and visitors alike love about the city.

On March 10, Angel Ayón and Sanika Kulkarni from AYON Studio shared their knowledge of the adaptive reuse and redevelopment of historic churches and theaters with Historic Preservation master’s candidates at Pratt Institute’s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment (GCPE).

Setting the stage with AYON Studio’s own work — from St. Paul’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and concluding with Times Square Theater and Flushing RKO Keith’s to the Nitehawk and Theater 80  — their presentation focused on the specific challenges and opportunities commonly found in these types of buildings. They also shared a range of global case studies: theaters that were turned into gyms, sports and e-sports arenas, bookstores, grocery stores, and parking garages; as well as churches that were converted into performing arts venues, residences, hotels, restaurants, co-working and event spaces – and even tattoo studios and skate parks!

Sharing Reglazing perspectives at APT’s "Modern Building Envelopes" seminar

Finding feasible reuse strategies for many Modern buildings that no longer perform like their current-day peers is a challenge. An even bigger one is addressing the deficiencies in their exterior envelopes, particularly those in the glazing assemblies.

To ensure these structures are viable investments for the future, lessons learned from past intervention strategies must be carefully examined, as they were in APT’s virtual seminar series in early March. As part of the series, AYON Studio Principal Angel Ayón and his co-author Uta Pottgiesser presented their research from Reglazing Modernism, sharing insights on curtainwall repair and upgrades from the 20 global case studies explored in the book.

The seminars, entitled “Modern Building Envelopes: Conservation, Repair, Improvement & Replacement,” brought together leading practitioners to discuss technically sound approaches for building envelope interventions that can meet and sustain current performance standards over a building’s extended life cycle. Hosted by APT’s Technical Committee on Modern Heritage, the classes explored how these methods can help Modern buildings achieve these goals while respecting their character-defining design attributes and historic materials.

Docomomo_US publishes excerpt from Reglazing Modernism

As Reglazing Modernism: Intervention Strategies for 20th-Century Icons celebrates its third year in print, it is still being heralded as the definitive book on interventions to steel-framed glazing assemblies in Modern buildings.

 Featured in its latest newsletter, Docomomo_US recently published an excerpt of the book, one that focuses on interventions at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zeche Zollverein. This Bauhaus-influenced mine complex (1927–1932) and coking plant (1961) in Essen, Germany, was designed and built to improve the system of coal extraction and processing. Interventions over the decades since the mine and plant concluded operations in 1986 and 1993, respectively, included the following:

• Simply restoring the steel profiles with the existing single-glazed panes or with new wired glass panes (Halls 2 and 5)

• Adding new slim IGUs partly with wired glass panes (Hall 7)

• Installing a thermally broken frame with IGUs with wired glass (Hall 9)

• Installing insulated partitions with secondary glazing consisting of single-pane steel frame casement windows set within an interior insulated partition built parallel to the existing exterior walls, thereby creating a large insulating air cavity (Halls 6 and 10).

Co-authored by Principal Angel Ayón, Reglazing Modernism was awarded the 2021 Lee Nelson Book Award from the Association for Preservation Technology International (APT), The book — recognized for being the most outstanding and influential book-length work on preservation technology in three years — was published in 2019, followed by a private book signing and launch celebration in February 2020 at the TWA Lounge at One World Trade Center in New York City.

The New York City Historic Properties Fund is turning 40!

© NY Landmarks Conservancy

Some New Yorkers who own Landmarks often don’t have the means to hire the right specialists to engage in restoration projects for their properties. They turn to the New York City Historic Properties Fund (HPF), which offers low-interest loans and project management assistance to such owners, mostly in low- to moderate-income communities.

 Since 1982, The New York Landmarks Conservancy (NYLC)-operated HPF has loaned over $31.6M to owners of over 273 buildings, including homeowners, co-ops, non-profits, and religious institutions throughout the city’s five boroughs. In celebration of the program’s 40th Anniversary, NYLC just launched “HPF People.” The informative video series will run throughout the year, with each episode featuring a special New Yorker involved with the loan program.

The first video interviews Deb Howard, former Executive Director of IMPACCT BROOKLYN and a longtime resident of Fort Greene / Clinton Hill. “[HPF] has funded 84 restoration projects in the neighborhood,” she says. “The longevity of the program over the last 40 years has allowed the Conservancy staff to make meaningful impact on our community. From Brooklyn to across the other boroughs, their work is making immediate impact on our neighborhoods and preserving buildings for generations to come.”

 AYON Studio has participated in the HPF program as a trusted advisor and preservation Architect for property owners in Bedford–Stuyvesant and Harlem. In the intro to the video, you’ll even catch a glimpse of Principal Angel Ayón at one of our projects in Lefferts Gardens! The Studio is currently working on another project in Bed-Stuy.

Refurbishing a Storied UWS Icon

AYON Studio is excited to working on the exterior rehabilitation of one of NYC’s most notable Art Deco co-ops. Recently featured in Curbed, this “Particularly Eccentric Upper West Side Apartment Building” has served as a multi-disciplinary arts space and home for a diverse array of people, including Roerichism fanatics and practicing architects. Living in nearly all studio apartments, sans full kitchens, micro-communities have formed over the years within the 300-plus-unit, brick-and-terracotta building.

Designed by Harvey Wiley Corbett and completed in 1929, the Master Apartments opened just two weeks prior to the famed stock market crash and ensuing Great Depression. The tallest building on Riverside Drive, this NYC Landmark frames amazing Hudson River views with corner windows “reputed to be the first in Manhattan.” Since 1996, the historic building has experienced numerous interior renovations, and many apartments have been combined to capture panoramic views and multiple terraces.

Now, the exterior will get a refresh, including masonry restoration at the tower and rehabilitation of the monumental steel-framed transom windows at the entrances, which was based on precedents analyzed in Principal Angel Ayón’s book Reglazing Modernism.

Savvy SVA students learn about Adaptive Reuse

On November 9th, SVA’s School of Interior Design brought together two of NYC’s best preservationist architects for its INSIDE THE BOX Lecture Series — AYON Studio Principal Angel Ayón and Françoise Bollack, a fellow practitioner and Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia GSAPP. Angel and Françoise presented their own thoughts then engaged in a Q+A discussion immediately following.

The Adaptive Reuse Panel was moderated by Dr. Carol Bentel, Chair of SVA’s BFA Interior Design program “Built Environments,” who thanked the speakers afterward, saying they “turned the tide on the conventional understanding of what “adaptive reuse” is… I am certain we will have some continued discussions at school.”

Angel’s presentation offers detailed case studies for protecting historic fabric through adaptive reuse, including two of NYC’s most famous theaters – The Times Square Theater and Flushing RKO Keith’ — as well as the former Excelsior Club, a historic gathering place for African Americans in Charlotte, North Carolina. To learn more about these solutions and others, watch the full lecture here.

Reglazing Modernism Wins the APT Lee Nelson Book Award!

Principal Angel Ayón’s book, Reglazing Modernism - Intervention Strategies for 20th Century Icons (Birkhäuser, 2019), has won the 2021 Lee Nelson Book Award from the Association for Preservation Technology International (APT)!

The publication was recognized for being the most outstanding and influential book-length work on preservation technology. Given only every three years, the honor places Reglazing Modernism among merely seven previous winners, and is a tribute to the late Lee Nelson, an outstanding preservationist, APT founder, and long-time editor of the APT Bulletin. The award was announced at the 2021 Preservation Beyond Politics annual conference in Washington, DC. 

According to Gina Crevello, the APT president at the time,

"the jurors agreed that the book increases our technical understanding of a key component for the preservation of [Modern] buildings. And that it is valuable to both the student and the practitioner. The book includes historic images for all case studies, as well as photographs and technical 3D details of original conditions and alterations, highlighting the main intervention strategies for restoration, rehabilitation and replacement. The jurors were impressed with the clear presentation of the topic; how well it is written, and edited, and beautifully laid out; and voted Reglazing Modernism - Intervention Strategies for 20th Century Icons by Angel, Uta and Nathaniel as the best preservation technology book of the year."

Ms. Crevello congratulated the authors for "an excellent book” that she deemed “an excellent choice for the Lee Nelson Award."

Co-authored by Uta Pottgiesser and Nathaniel Richards, Reglazing Modernism provides 20 in-depth case studies of Modern architectural icons in both Europe and the Americas. Focusing on interventions to their steel-framed glazing assemblies, the book offers a critical assessment of these, while also exploring emerging technologies that may offer higher performance in the future.

For more on Reglazing Modernism, see https://www.ayonstudio.com/book.

Glass and Glazing at the Preservation Technology Lab

Conservation labs usually focus on assessing the nature and condition of historic fabric made of historic materials and finishes such as stone, fired clays, plaster, ferrous metals, copper, bronzes and other alloys. But not glass. That's exactly on what AYON Studio Principal Angel Ayón focused when discussing glass and glazing to Historic Preservation students at Columbia University's  Preservation Technology Lab. Part of Francoise Bollack's seminar titled Old Buildings – New Energy: History and Sustainable Practices, the program included a lecture followed by a lab session.

After presenting the findings of his research on conservation of Modern glazed enclosures included in his book on Reglazing Modernism, Ayón guided the students through understanding and evaluating visual properties of different types of glass, including clear, ultra-clear / low-iron, tinted, and low-e coated glass. Thermal performance was evaluated by measuring heat flow (energy loss/gain through transmission, radiation, etc.) through electronic heat flux sensors connected to different glass assemblies such as single-pane, insulated glass units (IGU) and vacuum insulated glazing (VIG).

The lab session allowed the students to think of glass as a man-made material and glazing as a construction assembly whose visual and performance characteristics (u-value, weight and thickness, SHGC, etc.) are relevant considerations to be taken into account during reglazing interventions. For more on Reglazing Modernism, see https://www.ayonstudio.com/book.

Talking to Archinect News About the Role of Preservation Architects

Online architectural  publication Archinect News reached out to AYON Studio to talk about the role of Preservation Architects. Principal Angel Ayón discussed the firm's focus on the conservation, rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of significant properties to help ensure their future long-term viability. He talked about our interest in historic buildings, and on helping to safeguard them for future generations while minimizing their carbon footprint.

AYON Studio is looking for like-minded candidates to fill a Preservation Architect position. We're a small but mighty MBE firm based in Union Square, NYC, focusing on the conservation, rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of significant properties to help ensure their future long-term viability. Come learn and grow with us, as we research, design, document, and oversee the construction of appropriate and innovative intervention solutions. Consider joining our team!

The Times Highlights The Chocolate Factory Theater’s Upcoming Move

Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet for The New York Times

Although its new home is not quite complete, The Chocolate Factory Theater (TCFT) recently said goodbye to its leased space on 49th Avenue in Long Island City, which it occupied for 17 years. Both a farewell and a celebration, TCFT’s jubilant parade from its old address to its new was captured by The New York Times.

Long a haven for experimental artists, TCFT will soon have its own dedicated building, transformed by a design team led by AYON Studio from a pair of former manufacturing facilities. Housing a flexible performance space, along with back-of-house and support areas, the structure will retain its industrial character, while providing a new arts destination within LIC’s evolving mix of uses.

Honoring Philadelphia’s Historic Buildings

Join AYON Studio for the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia’s annual awards program on June 9th. Angel Ayón, along with Peg Breen from the NY Landmarks Conservancy, Seri Worden from the National Trust, and local Architect Ian Smith, served as judges for the 2021 Preservation Achievement Awards.

Recently featured on local Philly news channel PHL17, the esteemed 28-year-old awards program selects “outstanding projects that exemplify historic preservation in our region,” said Paul Steinke, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Preservation Alliance. “By converting buildings like this to new uses, you are saving a building from just being “thrown away into a landfill.”

But keeping the building intact is only part of the story. This year’s winners include a range of historic structures that are revitalized with new purpose, such as an old parking garage at the corner of 22nd and Pine turned The Goddard School, and Huntingdon Mills, a renovation of a former industrial complex. In Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, an old elementary school is renewed as The McGuire Residence, supportive housing for struggling with opioid addiction. And in Franklintown, the historic Granary building on N. 20th Street is now The Tidewater, a new residential and retail mixed-use development.

For more information and to attend the virtual awards program, visit the Preservation Alliance’s site.

Balancing Tenant and Landlord Interests in NYC’s Latinx Neighborhoods

An preservation activist in the Harlem community, AYON Studio’s Principal recently participated in the Latin-X Summit on Housing and Development. Hosted virtually on May 15th, the summit gave insight into recent have affected NYC’s longstanding Latinx enclaves in areas like Spanish Harlem, West Farms, and Williamsburg/Bushwick.

The group cited the growing wealth divide, increased cost of living, and the move away from local shopping as contributing factors toward continued homelessness and gentrification in the city’s Latinx communities. By addressing these pervasive patterns of causation, now particularly urgent post-COVID, housing advocates and small building managers can unite to preserve Latinx communities. The panel also discussed the disproportionate and negative impact of rent moratoriums and recent rent reform laws on homeowners and landlords in communities of color.

Angel was joined by fellow speakers Ben Carlos Thypin, President of Quantierra; Yvonne Peña, Project Director of Community Services Society of NY (CSSNY); and Carla Fuquene Pena, Principal of Fabricka. Visit Latin-X Summit’s website for more info about their programs, supported by and engaged with Assembly Member Catalina Cruz and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

How can Preservationists help make ALL buildings more sustainable?

All building consultants, including preservationists, need to address the current urgency of the environmental crisis. On April 29, 2021, Angel Ayón, principal of AYON Studio, moderated the “Sustainable Preservation” webinar hosted by the Preservation League of NY State.

Nakita Reed from Quinn Evans led off the discussion with a common statement: "Preservation is inherently sustainable." However, she emphasized the deeper and more critical impact preservation can have through a more holistic approach, with cutting-edge sustainability and resiliency strategies.

Evan Mason from Sustainable Homes + Yards and board member for the NY League of Conservation Voters further stresses that “Policy is being made now… and with a new call-to-action facing the industry, preservationists have an opportunity to get a seat at the table.”

Melissa Auf der Maur (yes, the former bassist of Hole) also participated in the conversation, as the Co-Founder and Director of Basilica Hudson and River House Project, which she used as a case study for “place-based, green historic preservation, and how the cultural sector can help amplify their stories.”

The lively discussion also delved into how we all can use the current challenges and opportunities of sustainability to address well-established inequalities.

Reglazing Modernism Book Talk for APT TC-MH

Applying lessons learned from past architectural interventions can help inform better future ones. They can even impact a building’s long-term sustainability. On April 14, 2021 Angel Ayón shared Restoration, Rehabilitation or Replacement strategies, as studied and presented in his book, Reglazing Modernism: Intervention Strategies for Steel Frame Glazed Enclosures.

Hosted by APT Twenty Century-Modern Heritage (APT TC-MH) committee, the webinar explored how new window technologies can improve the performance of decades-old buildings and why staying true to the original design can, in fact, make Modern icons less viable down the road. Combining both building science and historic preservation perspectives, Angel and his coauthors explored a variety of efforts to preserve such mid-century marvels as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum and Walter Gropius’s Fagus Factory.

Angel’s lecture, which attracted more than 200 attendees, follows Kyle Normandin’s review of Reglazing Modernism, recently featured in the APT Bulletin: The Journal of Preservation Technology, published by the Association for Preservation Technology International. Normandin cites the book’s wide appeal and timely subject matter, pointing out that “Understanding the value of historic constructions and how to protect them is critical…to responsible stewardship of our built environment tomorrow.”

Restoring Beauty – and Safety – to Brooklyn’s Churches

AYON Studio was recently featured for its work in helping the New York Landmarks Conservancy (NYLC) with supporting Landmark Brooklyn churches as part of its Sacred Sites program. Many, such as Trinity Baptist Church in the Crown Heights North Historic District, needed to address Department of Buildings (DOB) violations without the funds to do so. The NYLC-funded project, completed masonry repairs at the brick façade and tower, making the building both safer and more beautiful.

A private non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting New York's unique architectural heritage and character, the Conservancy "gives New York’s preservation needs a voice, advocating for sensible development, providing financial assistance and technical expertise." Its Sacred Sites grants offer congregations the means to plan and implement exterior restoration projects, including roof replacements, masonry restoration, stained-glass restoration, and structural repairs. The grants cover associated professional services fees, while also providing technical assistance and workshops.