St. Raphael Roman Catholic Church in Long Island City will be honored at an awards ceremony on April 22 at 6 p.m. at the Edison Ballroom.

The New York Landmarks Conservancy has announced the winners of the 2025 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards, the conservancy’s highest honors for excellence in preservation. The award recipients demonstrate outstanding preservation projects throughout the city.

St. Raphael Roman Catholic Church at 3520 Greenpoint Ave. in Long Island City will receive the award at a ceremony on April 22 at 6 p.m. at the Edison Ballroom in Manhattan. The ceremony attracts an audience of more than 500 every year.

“The ‘Lucy’s’ celebrate amazing preservation projects from throughout the city that might otherwise remain unheralded,” said Peg Breen, president of The New York Landmarks Conservancy. “It’s a lively evening showcasing the vision, determination and love people have for their historic properties.”

St. Raphael Roman Catholic Church in Long Island City is a cherished institution and neighborhood landmark (though undesignated) that has served its community for decades. Completed around 1885 and attributed to noted ecclesiastical architect Patrick Keely, it was primarily used as a funerary chapel for the adjacent Calvary cemetery, then transformed into a parish church as the neighborhood grew. Prominently located along the Long Island Expressway, St. Raphael, with its red brick facades and tall steeple, is a milestone for thousands of commuters daily.

Decades of damage, including cracked bricks, roof leaks and structural instability, necessitated a comprehensive approach to repair and preserve the church for future generations. Zaskorski & Associates Architects led the project with the goal of preserving the church’s historic integrity and restoring original features while keeping it open to parishioners throughout all construction phases.

Work began with the removal of inappropriate stucco coverings from repair campaigns of the 1960s and 1980s that revealed the original 1880s masonry. Damaged bricks were replaced with ones matching the originals and mortar joints were repointed with historically compatible mortar. Damaged brownstone and limestone ornaments were carefully repaired. All stained-glass windows were restored, with the outer hardwood frames replaced in kind.

The steeple reconstruction was the project’s highlight. Weathered and deteriorated, it was restored with new Vermont slate matching the original. This eliminated the previous disjointed, two-tone appearance of slate that had been installed at two separate times. Custom-fabricated copper paneling, louvers and a new cross completed the work. This project has revitalized a well-known and cherished religious and cultural icon.

New York Landmarks Conservancy

The Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards recognize individuals, organizations and building owners for their extraordinary contributions to the city. The conservancy is grateful for the support of the Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, which makes the awards possible.

The New York Landmarks Conservancy, a private nonprofit organization, has led the effort to preserve and protect New York City’s architectural legacy for more than 50 years. Since its founding, the conservancy has loaned and granted more than $62 million, which has leveraged almost $1 billion in restoration projects throughout New York, revitalizing communities, providing economic stimulus and supporting local jobs. The conservancy has also offered countless hours of pro bono technical advice to building owners, both nonprofit organizations and individuals. The conservancy’s work has saved more than a thousand buildings across the city and state, protecting New York’s distinctive architectural heritage for residents and visitors alike today, and for future generations. For more information, please visit www.nylandmarks.org.