CELEBRATING 50 YEARS of WBMA: 1975 – 2025
Walter B. Melvin Architects, LLC is celebrating 50 years of providing expert architectural restoration services. Founded in 1975, we are one of the oldest continuous architecture firms in New York City focused exclusively on the exterior restoration of the city’s landmarks and historic structures. Scroll across to revisit our key dates, award-winning projects, and people who made it all happen.
THE EARLY YEARS: 1970s
“
Walter and I were in our early 20s when we went to work for Harry Buttrick. We spent many years in the basement of Harry’s brownstone. No matter what we were doing, there was no detail for which Walter could not come up with a solution. Everything I know about detailing I learned from Walter and I was more than proud that we kept up a longstanding friendship from those days in the late 1960s until his unfortunate passing.
Hal Spitzer, Architect

“
By 1975, there was no work anywhere in New York City and Walter felt like he was being paid by Harry Buttrick to sharpen pencils, so he offered to go out on his own.
Sam White, Architect
“
The economy had tanked so nobody in the field of architecture had steady work. The deal at Harry Buttrick’s office was that if he had work for you, you did it. Otherwise, you could use your drafting board to make drawings for your own projects. So every day, Walter brought in handwritten project manual pages, and every night, I took them home and typed them up on my rented IBM Selectric. The people in Walter’s orbit totally enjoyed their work, so it was great fun to be among happy people who loved restoring old buildings.
Laura Berzofsky, Office Manager, 1979-2004
1975
Walter Basil Melvin, Jr. (33) founds Walter B. Melvin, Architect in New York City.

1979
32 Washington Square West is Walter’s first notable project and big break. A call about a collapsing roof parapet led to the first exterior conditions assessment and masonry reconstruction project. As a solo practitioner in an emerging field, these early projects called for his curiosity and genuine interest in traditional building methods, the study of old construction manuals and invention of new details, and collaboration with the talented contractors and artisans working in the trades. Five decades and hundreds of projects later, our work today continues in this spirit.

1980s
1983
778 Park Avenue becomes our first award-winning project, earning the Excellence in Conservation Award from Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts.
1986-1988
Charles DiSanto and Robert Bates, future Partners, join the firm in 1986 and 1988, respectively.

1990s
1992
6 East 80th Street receives the Excellence in Conservation Award from Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts.
1994
Edward Eacker, future Partner, joins the firm.
1995
The Osborne Apartments receives our first Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

1997
Martin Griggs, future Partner, joins the firm.
1998
The Dorilton Apartments receives the Large-Scale Restoration Award from Landmark West!

1999
The firm incorporates as Walter B. Melvin Architects, LLC.
2000s
2000
Queensboro Bridge, Bridgemarket receives four awards, including the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.
211 Winant Road, Princeton, NJ, receives the Historic Preservation Award from the Princeton Historical Society.
2001
Charles DiSanto is promoted to Partner.
Cooper Union, Main Building receives the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.
2002
Alwyn Court receives two preservation awards from the New York Landmarks Conservancy and Victorian Society in America.

2003
WBMA moves from 28th Street to our current office at 118 West 22nd Street.
Robert Bates is promoted to Partner.
The Frick Collection and Marymount School of New York receive Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

2004
780 West End Avenue receives two preservation awards from the New York Landmarks Conservancy and Victorian Society in America.
2005
A big year! Our 30th anniversary and The Met Cloisters, Hoffman Hall at General Theological Seminary, 850 Park Avenue, and 1111 Park Avenue all win preservation awards.
2006
Sergio De Orbeta, future Partner, joins the firm.
34 Gramercy Park East receives its first preservation award from Gramercy Neighborhood Associates.
2007
Kips Bay Towers receives a Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.
2008-09
WBMA earns seven preservation awards for The Plaza Hotel, 145 East 45th Street, Marymount School of New York, 475 Tenth Avenue, 525 Park Avenue, 110 West 78th Street, and 171-173 MacDougal Street.

Walter B. Melvin, AIA, receives the Landmarks Lion Award from the Historic Districts Council in 2008.

2010s
2010
55 Liberty Street – Liberty Tower receives the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

Our longtime client The Frick Collection receives the Transformation Award from Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts.
2013
998 Fifth Avenue receives three preservation awards and Donald Judd Home & Studio receives six architectural restoration and design awards!
Walter B. Melvin, AIA, is honored with the Sidney L. Strauss Award from the New York Society of Architects.
2014-2015
WBMA earns four preservation awards for Chapman House Museum in Tallahassee, 1125 Fifth Avenue Terrace, Sibley Hall at Cornell University, and Grace Church in New York.

2016
Walter B. Melvin, AIA, receives the Unsung Hero Award from Landmark West!

2017
Walter Melvin and Charles DiSanto retire from the firm.
Edward Eacker and Martin Griggs are promoted to Partners.
St. Thomas Church receives two preservation awards from the New York Landmarks Conservancy and Institute of Classical Architecture and Art.
2018-19
Public Bath House No. 7 and Freehand Hotel receive Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.
WBMA is honored with the Chairman’s Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy in 2019.
2020s
2020
2021
Green-Wood Historic Chapel earns two preservation awards and Central Presbyterian Church earns four.

2022

In Memorium
Walter Basil Melvin, Jr.
1942-2022
2023
Edward Eacker retires from the firm.
Sergio De Orbeta is promoted to Partner.
131 Duane Street – The Hope Building and 90 West Broadway receive preservation awards.
2024
424 Fifth Avenue – Lord & Taylor receives a Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy, WBMA’s eighth in a row.
2025
In our 50th anniversary year, WBMA earns two preservation awards with longtime clients 34 Gramercy Park East and 1000 Park Avenue.

LEGACY
Beginning with an exterior conditions assessment and masonry reconstruction project at 32 Washington Square West, our portfolio has grown over the decades to include the successful restoration of hundreds of structures in the New York City area, including some of the city’s most iconic landmarks. As a solo practitioner in an emerging field, Walter’s early projects called for his curiosity and genuine interest in historic building methodologies, the study of old construction manuals and invention of new details, and collaboration with the talented contractors and artisans working in the trades. 50 years and hundreds of projects later, our work today continues in this ethos.
Within the office, Walter developed and nurtured a culture that was collaborative, friendly, and family-oriented. Office ski trips to Sugar Loaf in Maine (his home state), canoe outings down the Delaware River, and project tours were annual events happily attended by staff and their families. We continue that spirit in our seasonal outings and holiday get-togethers with current and former “Melvinites.”
The collegial and educational environment, projects, and people have added up to a special place where staff members choose to spend their professional lives. With a current average tenure of 12 years and the longest at 37 years, there is an incredible amount of collective knowledge and experience within the office today, built upon Walter’s foundation.
Cheers to the next decade!
















































