Martin Seck

Alliance Honored with Lucy G. Moses Award for Wellhouse

April 22, 2019

The Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards are given annually by the New York Landmarks Conservancy in recognition of the owners and stewards of historic buildings across the City, who have completed extraordinary restoration and reuse projects. This year, Prospect Park Alliance’s restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic park Wellhouse is a recipient of this top accolade.

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Prospect Park Alliance Architect Alden Maddry accepts Lucy G. Moses Award for the Wellhouse, c. The New York Landmarks Conservancy.

The Wellhouse, completed in 1869, is the only building created by the park’s original designers—Olmsted and Vaux—still standing in Prospect Park. It was built in the late 1860s as one key component of Prospect Park’s manmade watercourse system.

After a long period of disuse, this structure was restored by Prospect Park Alliance and has found a new purpose–a comfort station, home to the first composting toilets in an NYC park! Composting toilets only use 3 to 6 ounces of water per flush—97% less water than a conventional toilet. In addition, the project features a grey water garden, which uses water collected from hand sinks, janitor sinks and floor drains to irrigate the nearby landscape of native grasses and plants.

Prospect Park Alliance, having recognized the historic significance of this project, made every effort to preserve and accurately recreate the Wellhouse, while adding the eco-friendly amenities. Prospect Park’s Wellhouse reconstruction demonstrates that a beautiful historical building can be faithfully restored while being repurposed as a groundbreaking environmental facility open to the public.

The Lucy G. Moses Awards Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, April 23. Learn more about the fascinating history and adaptive reuse of the Wellhouse.

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The Prospect Park Alliance Design and Construction team at the 2019 Lucy G. Moses Awards, c. The New York Landmarks Conservancy.