William Stivale Jr.

William Stivale Jr.
December 28, 1953 - July 27, 2023
William Stivale, master planner and program director for religious property restoration projects in New York City and the tri-state area, passed away after a long battle with Parkinson's disease on July 27. He was 69. Bill credited his father, a builder in Montclair, NJ, with inspiring him to become involved in historic preservation. As young man, he learned skills – carpentry, glazing, masonry – and was encouraged to study traditional construction of cathedrals to understand the structure and materials of grand architecture. A resident of NYC and Redding, CT, Bill was committed to working with religious institutions to integrate their societal missions with their major restoration projects. To that end, Bill developed training programs for a number of his projects, both with local residents and recent immigrants, to teach them the skills necessary for historic restoration. He directed many award-winning, large-scale landmark building projects, beginning in about 1980, some of which were featured in the New York Times, including First Presbyterian in the Village, Holy Trinity on the UES, St. Sava Cathedral in the Flat Iron district, and St. Peter's in Chelsea. His awards included the New York Landmarks Conservancy Lucy Moses Award (multiple times), the Victorian Society, and Friends of the Upper East Side.
He is survived by his wife, Marie Ennis, a partner at Old Structures Engineering in NYC, sister Charleen Conrad, and brother, John Stivale, both of New Jersey, and his Ennis in-laws.
A memorial service and celebration of life will be held later this year. In lieu of flowers or cards, please consider a donation to the New York Landmarks Conservancy Sacred Sites fund in Bill's name, https://nylandmarks.org/what-we-do/grants-loans/sacred-sites/ .