With a Gallic shrug and an impish smile, Patrick Silberstein, admits that the love he lavishes will probably never be returned in full, and he cannot always find the words to explain his passion. All he knows is that restoring his federally landmarked historic building, 8 Bond Street, to its former glory is a quest that engages him totally.

We visited him on a windy, cold day on the rooftop of the building where master artisan Carlos Falero of SJC Contracting was scampering confidently around on the steep section of the slate roof, restoring the copper trim, a fine detail that gives the building a rich, burnished look. For the job, 1300 pounds of copper have been used. Mr. Falero beams as he says, "I love working with copper," his hands showing the nicks and scrapes of the trade. The work is hard, and according to Mr. Silberstein, dangerous, but Mr. Falero trained under "an extraordinary man, Al Small, a legend in his time."

"The restoration of the building," says Mr. Silberstein, "is not a story about me. It is a story of artisans. So many have contributed their skills to revive the building."

Part of the visual integrity of the building, which houses offices and one apartment, is the attention to finding the right materials. The original slate was tracked down and it turns out that not only was it mined in Vermont, but luckily the quarry is still in business. While a casual passer-by might not have noticed a difference in using some other slate, for the host of people involved in its restoration, finding the exact slate mattered.

The same applies for the brick used by master mason, Alex Tanzman, who painstakingly duplicated the patterns used in the variations of color. There is an art to patching so that it does not look like patchwork.

Everywhere we walked around the building, there was a buzz of excitement about the work in progress. Architect Frank Gencorelli and Plaza Mayor Jean Celender both have their offices in the building, which leads to easy communication since both Mr. Gencorelli and Mr. Silberstein serve on the Plaza's Historic Preservation Commission. Both Gencorelli and Celender laud the leadership and vision shown by Mr. Silberstein.

Joe Gauci, who began working in the building, cleaning and doing odd jobs, when he was working to obtain his master's degree in biology back in the 1970s, is still invaluable. He laughs and says, "Don't take my picture...I know this building for too long." Mr. Silberstein says, "Joe knows every nook and cranny of the building. He has helped me keep it together."

In addition to the aesthetic enhancements and care given to the building, the underlying effort was to protect the building from the elements, making sure that every leak was eliminated, every window, doghouse, skylight was sealed. With all the ridges and peaks, this was a big job. All the sills were fabricated by Fypon that manufactures a cellular PVC, with a finish that looks just like wood, but is designed to last forever and to resist mold, moisture and insect damage.

Not only is the exterior of the building receiving care, but the interior is being polished as well. Alex Rivas, a gifted muralist, is re-doing the walls using a Venetian plastering technique. Mr. Silberstein says, "The look of the walls will be a warm glow. Alex is unbelievably talented."

Although we did not meet up with him on the tour, Mr. Silberstein also credits Louis Feldstein, who did the vital job of coordinating the work of the various trades involved in the restoration of 8 Bond.

The restaurant on the ground floor was undergoing a tremendous renovation with new restaurateur, Elaine Ho. Ms. Ho owns three other restaurants in the metro area. One, First Wok, is located on Third Avenue in New York City, another is in Edgewater, New Jersey and the third is in Hawthorne, New York. Workmen were everywhere, hammering, sawing, and drilling.

The floor was covered with thick plastic to protect the work of yet another artisan, Alan Sedaka, who has created a serpentine terrazzo inlay that is a grand entry design, beckoning customers to enter the dining room. This underfoot piece of art is a composite of bamboo and mother of pearl held together with an epoxy matrix. Mr. Sedaka, who lives in Great Neck, is well known for the work he did at Nobu, the famous restaurant owned by Robert DeNiro.

Together Ms. Ho and Mr. Silberstein are meticulously planning the landscaping for the exterior entryway as well and are looking forward to the opening of Elaine's Asian Bistro in mid-April.

While the building itself is a gleaming gem, built in 1926, representing Georgian Revival architecture, it is also an up-dated 21st century building. It was the first building in Great Neck to be wired with fiber optic. Mr. Silberstein says that Verizon was "wonderful ... the installation was started below the street to make sure that it would not interfere with the visual components of the building. They spent a lot of money doing it right."

Mr. Silberstein gazes off and says, "I know some people think I'm crazy. I'll never get a financial return on what I'm putting in to restore the building, but I just love it. I love the work, the people who do the work, the search for the right materials ... the beautiful result." It is his bequest to Great Neck and a tangible testimony to the values of excellence and craftsmanship.