Daily News from New York, New York • 158

By PAUL LA ROSA and, perhaps most importantly, restore the tower. The work was completed during the past year and the castle has once again reopened to the public. It is now used for educational activities, entertainment for children and exhibits on the history of the castle. When plans for the restoration of the park were drawn up in 1972, the castle was listed as needing major repairs. The need wasn't met until two years ago when the privately funded Central Park Conservancy helped the Parks Department to raise $1.5 million.

The work began in earnest, and architect James Lamantia under took to replace missing pieces of granite, reconstruct stone parapets began to go astray as early as 1919 when the U.S. Weather Bureau set up its offices in the park and altered its roof in the process. But the real deterioration of the structure began in 19J0 when the bureau installed an automatic weather-recording system and removed its staff. The unoccupied castle soon became a target for vandals and the ensuing graffiti and damage took its toll. L' I i 9 4.

'X ''A GUI presenting honors to Betsy Barlow and Henry Stern. Sf3HE BELVEDERE CASTLE, I which has been broken into, battered and abused in its 111-year existence in Central Park, has regained a sense of its originally intended glory thanks to an extensive renovation completed the past year. Those responsible for the restorationthe Parks Department and the Central Park Conservancy-were honored for their achievements at a ceremony in the castle on Tuesday evening. Central Park Administrator Elizabeth Barlow and Parks Commissioner Henry Stern accepted Chairman's Awards from the New York Landmarks Conservancy. "As one conservancy to another, we salute the Central Park Conservancy for carrying out this superlative restoration," said Brendon Gill, chairman of the Landmarks Conservancy.

The Chairman's Awards were instituted in 1978 to recognize "the successful adaptation and restoration of landmark buildings in New York." The Belvedere Castle was designed in 1867 by Calvin Vaux, who was responsible for the look of the park along with its chief landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. Completed in 1872, the castle was intended to be a focal point in the park, from which visitors would get breathtaking views. Vaux's grand vision for the castle By FRANK LO.MBAROI UPREME COURT JUDGES throughout the city are up in arms, as well as perhaps quaking in their robes, over the decision by Bronx Democratic leader Stanley Friedman to deny traditional renominations to two sitting judges whose terms are expiring. But Friedman's fellow county leaders in the other boroughs said they have no plans to change their practice of automatically renaming Supreme Court judges in their jurisdictions. However, several sympathized with the political pressures that led Friedman to make his controversial move.

At the Bronx nominating convention Tuesday night, 82 Democratic delegates voted overwhelmingly against renominating Justices William Kapelman and Donald J. Sullivan, who had been appointed 14 years ago by other Bronx party chieftains. Friedman's move allowed him to replace both men with two other white nominees currently active in that borough's political affairs-Anita Florio and Joseph Aaron Mazur.v Friedman's unprecedented deci- It also served reception place awards ceremony. admirably as a for Tuesday's VA irwt JONATHAN SMOHtr DAILY NIWS elective system," Manes said. But he added that a separate procedure might be designed to cover sitting judges up for renomination.

"It's something that should be looked into," he said Esposito, as is his styje, was blunter; "No, I don't like that (gubernatorial appointments). Then you'll have all Wall Street judges on there. How will I get people who represent the community on the bench." Gov. Cuomo, another supporter of the appointive process, submitted a bill earlier this year calling for a constitutional amendment to permit direct appointments of Supreme Court judges. But the measure went nowhere, nor is it likely to with the opposition expressed by Manes and Esposito, especially.

Leading judges and bar associa tion leaders were unanimous yesterday in condemning Friedman's ac tion. The critics said judges will now feel they have to heed political pressures or face not being renamed when their terms expire. But Friedman defended his ac tion and said: "The judges are intelligent people and recognize what happened. It won't have a chilling effect. It might make them more responsive I to needs or the 'communities.

1 Oil Honoring a good restoration: Brendon sion to break the unwritten renominating tradition then allowed him to satisfy growing demands from Bronx constituents for the appointment of minority judges. Friedman named Irma Vidal San-taella, an Hispanic, and Elbert C. Hinkson, a black. If Friedman had renamed the two current judges, he would have had only two vacancies to fill and would have not been able to satisfy both his own party regulars and leaders of black and Hispanic delegations. "We have a policy in this county of redesignating sitting judges," said Donald Manes, the Queens borough president and Democratic county chairman.

The judges, however, must undergo screening by the county's bar association and a blue-ribbon pannel of law school deans, prominent lawyers and legal experts, he added. Manes said Friedman was forced into his action by "extenuating circumstances" applicable only to the Bronx. "It, easy to second guess him after the fact." Manes noted, "but it must have been a difficult situation. Somebody had to count heads as to where the vote was going to go. I know that he normally would have followed the normal practice.

Democratic chieftain, said he has gone along in the past even with automatic renominations for Republican judges. "Would I do it?" he remarked, "I don't know if I would ever do if If faced with a similar situation I probably would; it depnds on the circumstances. If Stanley Friedman thought it was the right thing to do I stand behind it." Nicholas LaPorte, the Democratic leader of Staten Island, said he sees no need to change the present system of redesignating sitting judges. However, Herman D. Farrell, the Manhattan county leader, was more critical of Friedman's action, particularly because it is being interpreted as two white candidates being forced out by two minority nominees.

Manes, Esposito and LaPorte all strongly opposed proposals to change the system while Mayor Koch and others yesterday called for switching to an appointive system. Calling the present system "a charade," Koch said: "It's done in a political way, appointment on the basis of race, appointment on the basis of political clout. It's not evil, it's just something I would not do when it comes to the selection of "I'm very much in favor of (Tie.