Staten Island Chamber of Commerce celebrates construction, design at Building Awards

New York City is home to some of the most glorious architecture in the modern world. From the skyscrapers of Manhattan to the beautiful homes and businesses of Staten Island, many tourists come to New York just to admire the breath taking scenery.

While the buildings are admired and glorified by some, most people do not know who is responsible for these works of beautiful architecture. The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce holds an annual award show that gives recognition to just these people for construction and design for properties on Staten Island.

That annual event is called the Building Awards and this year was the 54th time awards were given out..

“For the past 54 years, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce Building Awards program has recognized the efforts of local residents and members of the building industry who want to make Staten Island a more beautiful place to live and work,” said Linda Baran, the Chamber’s president and CEO. “While some may think that Staten Island does not have much to offer in terms of sight-seeing, the truth is in these awards; for 54 years buildings and houses have been adding to the already beautiful residency that is Staten Island.”

It may seem as though the Awards have only one purpose; to acknowledge beautiful buildings and though that is somewhat true there is much more meaning behind these awards. When asked, Baran said, “The Building Awards program also lets us showcase positive changes in Staten Island. We added a Sandy Restoration category to bring attention to the many changes in construction methods that can help protect homes during future storms. The TD Bank Best in Green Award recognizes a growing interest in creating buildings that use alternative energy sources and materials, and have design features that contribute to natural sustainability.”

With all that in mind, it is easy to see why the Building Awards has been such a success. It’s willingness to adapt to the world around it and the different categories that every building is recognized make it a very unique event.

If further proof is needed of how prestigious this event is, then look no further at the class of judges that rule on each nominee. According to this year’s press release, judges for this year’s awards included Ronit Lapid of aRKAY Designs, Joe Covello of United Hoisting and Scaffolding, Bob Bernabe of Bernabe Home Improvement, Mike Veneziale of Statwood Home Improvements, Debra Monte of The Green Inspector, Linda Carroll of AAA Thrifty Exterminating, Murray Berman of Heritage Hill Homes, and Jeff Geary of Avid Designs Inc., along with other members of the Chamber’s Building Awards Committee.

“These awards aren’t about specific tastes in design or personal preferences,” Baran said. “Our judges are professionals who can recognize quality materials, expert craftsmanship and exquisite design. This is really about the excellent work our building and design industries do here on Staten Island.”

While there are many awards and many recipients, there is one award that stands above the rest — The Chairman’s Award.

“The winners of the Chairman’s Awards, in particular, are the best of the best from among the many entries we receive,” Baran said.

One of this year’s winners was the Honorary James P. Molinaro Center for Autism. Winning this award meant so much to the recipients they actually have a thank you quote from the Executive Director of The Eden II Programs on the first page of their website. The building itself went under a total rebuild, and that is why it was submitted for an award. Winning The Chairman’s Award means the building scored the highest in every category, which is why it is considered to be a cut above the rest.

Staten Island may not be the tourist attraction that Manhattan is, or the most popular borough New York City has to offer, but to many residents it is beautiful and deserves to be recognized. If asked, the people of The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce believe it is recognized, and it’s been recognized for 54 years now.