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Prizes
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal MAS proudly presented the 2007 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal to Wade F.B. Thompson and Elihu Rose for their tremendous contribution to New York City and its cultural life: the restoration of the Park Avenue Armory. In 1993, unable to tolerate further deterioration of the historic armory—with rooms designed by Stanford White, Louis Comfort Tiffany and the Herter Brothers—Wade F. B. Thompson, a businessman, philanthropist and neighbor, urged MAS to form a committee aimed at rescuing the building and securing its future for the citizens of New York City. Soon after, his good friend Elihu Rose, a real-estate executive
The MAS Annual Benefit was held at the historic Park Avenue Armory where Wade F.B. Thompson and Elihu Rose were honored with the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal for their tremendous contribution to its restoration. (All photos this page: Steven Tucker)
and military historian, joined the campaign, and the Seventh Regiment Armory Conservancy was born. Together they enlisted a group of distinguished New Yorkers to join the Conservancy board, marshalled the resources for the building’s restoration, and recruited its talented leadership and staff. In November 2006, after more than a decade of negotiation, the Conservancy signed a 99-year lease with New York State. The transformation is already splendidly visible. The grand 125-year-old entry doors and iron gates have been restored, the central tower has been cleaned, the historic military paintings have been lit for the