The Preservation League of New York state will honor a Westchester County project during its Excellence in Historic Preservation Awards Ceremony, set for May 9 at New York Yacht Club in Manhattan.
The restoration and preservation of the 1953 Neumann House, designed by architectural legend Marcel Breuer in Croton-on-Hudson, will be recognized.
Here are the details from the announcement:
“Along with seven other honorees, this restoration represents a shining example of historic preservation. The league’s statewide awards program has been honoring notable achievements in retaining, promoting and reusing New York state’s irreplaceable architectural heritage since 1984…. This private residence was designed in 1953 by the famed Modernist architect Marcel Breuer for Vera and George Neumann, who had just expanded their Scarves by Vera textile printing operation to nearby Ossining, New York. Current owners Ken Sena and Joseph Mazzaferro acquired the property in 2014 and embarked on an extensive four-year-long restoration with the utmost care to preservation’s best practices.
The Neumann House is a wonderful example of a local property that bears international importance. Barry Bergdoll, curator of Architecture and Design at MoMA, said of the Neumann House, “The architect considered this residence, set on a commanding hilltop with views up and down the river, one of his finest; its colored floor plan hung on his office wall for years. Vera and George Neumann were both clients and collaborators. She was famous for her graphic textile designs (beloved by no less than Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe) and had worked with Breuer on her of-the-moment showrooms, notably on Fifth Avenue.” And for each of these, sculptor and friend, Alexander Calder, would furnish installations, including a 16-foot stabile that stood for 30 years on the front lawn between the Neumann House and the Hudson River.
The care and attention to detail paid by homeowners Ken Sena and Joseph Mazzaferro is exemplary. “So often, modern buildings are torn down rather than revitalized,” said Preservation League President Jay DiLorenzo. “Our team was thrilled to see what a transformation Ken and Joseph were able to accomplish with this project.”
“The end result of their earnest efforts is a restoration challenge very well met, which Breuer and his original clients would certainly appreciate for its exactitude, well applied, while not sacrificing the house atmosphere,” said Preservation League Board of Trustees member Caroline Rob Zaleski.
The Preservation League team is so pleased that this effort will receive statewide recognition. The project was funded personally by the owners who led the reconstructive effort, along with the assistance of Syracuse University.”
WAG extends its congratulations to Neumann House owners Joseph Mazzaferro and Ken Sena for the honor.
For more, visit preservenys.org.
– Mary Shustack
