The Jeffrey Kroessler Student Research Award is an annual juried award highlighting original graduate-level research on topics relevant to historic preservation in New York City. This research award will provide emerging preservationists an opportunity to gain public recognition by showcasing their research that is beneficial to the advancement of the historic preservation community. At least one $1,000 award will be presented each year and the awarded recipient(s) will have the opportunity to publicly present their research to peers and preservationists in 2027.
This year’s application will open on Friday, April 10th and close on Friday, May 15th @ 11:59 PM. To apply, please click the link below.
For questions about the application process, please contact Kaija Mendez-Bryan, Development and Administration Manager, at [email protected].
Our 2026 Jeffrey Kroessler Research Award Jurors
HDC is pleased to announce our jurors for our 2026 Jeffrey Kroessler Student Research Award! Read more about them below:
Laura Heim, FAIA, LEED AP established her award winning neighborhood-based practice in a storefront in Sunnyside Gardens, Queens, New York, after two decades of practice leading restoration efforts in prominent firms and teaching architectural design and history at the University of Virginia, University of Florida, and Pratt among other institutions. Her firm has a particular expertise in historic preservation, adaptive reuse/restoration and affordable housing renovation. She served as the Chair of Architecture on the Steering Committee of the Sunnyside Gardens Preservation Alliance, as president of the AIA Queens chapter, and was on the Board of Directors of AIA New York State. She was honored to have served as the Co-Chair of the AIANY Fellows Committee. Currently, she is on the Board of Directors of the Historic Districts Council. She frequently collaborated on historic preservation work with her late husband, Jeffrey Kroessler, which the award is named after.
Melissa Lee leads Public Works Partners’ Community Health practice, advancing community-centered solutions to the complex challenges facing urban communities today. Grounded in a deep understanding of the civic landscape—from residents to the institutions that shape daily life—her work bridges planning, engagement, and implementation to drive meaningful, lasting impact. At her core, Melissa is an urban designer, community builder, and self-described “social alchemist,” grounded in the belief that bold imagination paired with action can transform communities. Her work is rooted in making planning more equitable, more responsive, and inclusive by expanding participation, amplifying voices, and changing how decisions are made.
With more than 25 years of experience across the public, nonprofit, and private sectors, Melissa has led urban planning initiatives nationwide, guiding projects from vision through execution. She is accredited by the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU-A) and has served as an adjunct lecturer in Tulane University’s Sustainable Real Estate & Development Program, as well as a delegate to the American Planning Association’s Assembly for Climate Change. She is a proud alumna of Coro Leadership New York and Coro Southern California Women in Leadership.
Natalie Milbrodt serves as University Archivist for the City University of New York (CUNY) where her team is responsible for a survey of archival collections across CUNY’s 26 campuses and implementing strategies and systems for increased collection discovery and use. Her responsibilities also include coordination and planning for digital preservation and records management across the organization. Before joining CUNY, Milbrodt served as the founding Director of the award-winning Queens Memory Project, a community-led archival program that has collected over 1000 oral histories along with photographs and other local history records. She worked for a decade as the Metadata Services Coordinator for the Queens Public Library, responsible for the library’s cataloging and digitization activities for their over seven million collection items. Milbrodt serves on the Oral History Association’s Metadata Working Group, as an organizer for the Community Archiving Happy Hour and NYC Neighborhood Oral History meetups, and as an advisory board member for New York State Historical Records and Urban Archive. Her cultural heritage consulting clients include the Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York (DHPSNY) program and the Internet Archive.
2026 Jeffrey Kroessler Research Award Student Presentation
On Wednesday, February 4, 2026, our 2025 research award winner, Frederick, presented his awarded research to HDC supporters, peers, and preservationists. Special thanks to the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation for its support and the Fraunces Tavern Museum for hosting us!
Jeffrey Kroessler Research Award Fund
The Historic Districts Council is delighted to create the Jeffrey Kroessler Student Research Award in honor of our late esteemed board member, Jeffrey A. Kroessler. As a preservationist, author, educator, librarian, and historian, Kroessler assisted in crafting the organization’s advocacy strategies and educational programs on preservation across the city. Kroessler generously served on HDC’s board of directors and advisors for 36 years.
His contributions and publications have been included in The Encyclopedia of New York City, The Encyclopedia of New York State, Robert Moses and the Modern City: the Transformation of New York, Journal of Planning History, New York History, and Long Island History Journal. As a passionate advocate for the borough of Queens, Jeffrey co-founded the Queensborough Preservation League, participated in the successful effort to landmark the New York Architectural Terra Cotta Works Building in Long Island City, and spearheaded the successful campaign to designate the Sunnyside Gardens Historic District.
To preserve and maintain the legacy of Jeffrey Kroessler being a champion of New York City and his commitment to the education and development of upcoming preservationists, we ask for your support in making this award a reality for future generations. Their research is pivotal to the past, present and future of our city. Your award will directly support the prize for the awarded recipients, the student showcase, and the award ceremony. All donations are fully tax deductible.
To contribute to the fund, please visit the link below and if you have any questions, please contact Kaija Mendez-Bryan at [email protected].
Finally, we would like to thank John M. Bacon, Françoise Astorg Bollack and Tom Killian, Peter Bray, Andrew Scott Dolkart, Franny Eberhart, Laura Heim, and Ricardo Zurita, our founding donors who have contributed to the cause and have been catalysts in helping us honor Jeffrey’s legacy. We appreciate your support!
