Manoug Exerjian (August 20, 1892 or 1888 – November 5, 1974) was a
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. census, Nassau County's population is 1,395,774. The county seat is Mineola, New York, Mineola ...
architect, who came to
Great Neck, New York
Great Neck is a region on Long Island, New York, that covers a peninsula on the North Shore and includes nine villages, among them Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kings Point, and Russell Gardens, and a number of unincorpor ...
, in 1923.
Biography
A native of
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
, he graduated from the Royal School of Architecture in Istanbul in 1914. He designed the
Manhasset, New York Medical Center and hospital.
He came to prominence after winning first prize, $750, in a competition for best design of a
Broadway (Manhattan)
Broadway () is a road in the U.S. state of New York. Broadway runs from State Street at Bowling Green for through the borough of Manhattan and through the Bronx, exiting north from New York City to run an additional through the Westchest ...
block front. Specifically, the contest featured hypothetical drawings of the east side of
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
, between 44th Street and 45th Street. Exerjian resided at 147 East
33rd Street (Manhattan)
The New York City borough of Manhattan contains 214 numbered east–west streets ranging from 1st to 228th, the majority of them designated in the Commissioners' Plan of 1811. These streets do not run exactly east–west, because the grid plan i ...
when his plan was victorious in December 1933.
Career as designer
Exerjian owned and designed four houses located at Cannon Place, near 288th Street, the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...
, in 1927. He owned several plots of land on lower
Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)
Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated as "Lex", is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street. Along its ...
, which were purchased from him in February 1929.
In March 1934 Exerjian advised that $25,000,000 in allocated
United States Federal Government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...
funds, be used to make alterations in existing dwellings in the
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally ...
. He stressed that the same sum of money, when used to build several blocks of new housing, would perpetuate the existence of slums much longer. This would occur because private capital would not be capable of competing profitably with tax exempt housing.
Exergian designed a group of three apartment houses on
Queens Boulevard
Queens Boulevard is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Queens connecting Midtown Manhattan, via the Queensboro Bridge, to Jamaica. It is long and forms part of New York State Route 25.
Queens Boulevard runs northwest to ...
between 66th Avenue and 67th Drive, in
Forest Hills, New York
Forest Hills is a mostly residential neighborhood in the central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is adjacent to Corona to the north, Rego Park and Glendale to the west, Forest Park to the south, Kew Gardens to the southea ...
. Designed in the six story garden style, in 1937, the three apartment units covered a block measuring 600 feet. 212 apartments and 14 stores were planned for the area.
As president of Houses For Modern Living, Inc., Exerjian built and sold 24 lots, three blocks from the
Eighth Avenue subway, in November 1940. The development was on the south side of Austin Street, east of Yellowstone Boulevard, in Forest Hills. Earlier he built and sold several private homes in the area.
Death
Exerjian died in November 1974 at the age of 86 at
Manhasset Hospital.
At the time, he resided at 18 Bonnie Heights Road, in the
Manhasset
Manhasset is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Manhasset area. The population was 8,176 at the 2020 United States ce ...
section of
Flower Hill.
Works
*1927: Four houses located at Cannon Place, near 288th Street, the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...
[''Bronx House Leased With Option'',
New York Times, November 19, 1927, pg. 31.]
*1934: Crypt of
Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church (New York City)
Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church is a significant Armenian Apostolic Church
in Washington Heights, Manhattan, Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City at 580 West 187th Street. It occupies the former second location of the Lutheran church o ...
*1937: Three six-story apartment houses on
Queens Boulevard
Queens Boulevard is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Queens connecting Midtown Manhattan, via the Queensboro Bridge, to Jamaica. It is long and forms part of New York State Route 25.
Queens Boulevard runs northwest to ...
between 66th Avenue and 67th Drive, in
Forest Hills, New York
Forest Hills is a mostly residential neighborhood in the central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is adjacent to Corona to the north, Rego Park and Glendale to the west, Forest Park to the south, Kew Gardens to the southea ...
*1952-1953: Renovation and refacing of
Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church (New York City)
Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church is a significant Armenian Apostolic Church
in Washington Heights, Manhattan, Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City at 580 West 187th Street. It occupies the former second location of the Lutheran church o ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Exerjian, Manoug
19th-century births
1974 deaths
Architects from Istanbul
20th-century American architects
Ethnic Armenian architects
Armenians from the Ottoman Empire
American ecclesiastical architects
Companies based in Manhattan
Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to the United States
American people of Armenian descent
People from Manhasset, New York
People from Great Neck, New York
Flower Hill, New York
Architects from New York City