Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts

Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, founded in 1982, is an independent, not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to preserving the architectural legacy, livability, and sense of place of the Upper East Side.
Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, founded in 1982, is an independent, not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to preserving the architectural legacy, livability, and sense of place of the Upper East Side. The Upper East Side of Manhattan, anchored by six historic districts is one of New York City’s best preserved, most stable, most diverse, and most livable neighborhoods. It is also one of the most vulnerable, because its good qualities are exactly what real estate investors and speculators are looking for. They want to put their money where prospective tenants and homeowners want to put theirs. To strike the right balance between preservation and renewal is a difficult, full-time job. Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts has been doing that job for twenty-five years and we need your help to continue preserving and protecting this world-famous neighborhood. FRIENDS regularly monitors, attends and testifies before the Community Board, Landmarks Preservation Commission, City Planning Commission, Art Commission and City Council, acting as community advocate to encourage appropriate development on the Upper East Side. FRIENDS also keeps busy educating the public. For our young friends, we teach second and fourth graders a three-part course on learning to appreciate the built environment. For adults, we hold symposia, sponsor walking tours, and annually give awards to individuals for community service and owners of properties and their architects for outstanding preservation projects.
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You may have noticed that FRIENDS has recently begun publishing a series of in-depth pieces focused on local history and...
07/30/2020

You may have noticed that FRIENDS has recently begun publishing a series of in-depth pieces focused on local history and preservation. We have received positive feedback and community support for these “deeper dives,” and we are happy to announce that will be offering them regularly as part of a new series called “East Side Extra!”

Each piece in the series will offer a close look at a lesser-known area of local history or advocacy, and will be housed as a dedicated collection on our website (link in the bio), where you can access it at your convenience. You can find all previous installments in the series there. We’re also happy to share a new installment today that explores the creative adaptive reuse of the three former armory sites located on the Upper East Side.

Stay tuned for future topics!

📷 1: Military History and Adaptive Reuse on the Upper East Side

📷 2: Something Sweet for your Holiday Weekend

📷 3: Getting to Know our Good Neighbors

📷 4: An Ethereal Tour of the Upper East Side

📷 5: Home, Health and History in Yorkville

#uppereastside #nychistory #preservation #eastsideextra @ Upper East Side

Join us for a book talk with historian and author @zviolette exploring how the work of immigrant builders and architects...
07/10/2020

Join us for a book talk with historian and author @zviolette exploring how the work of immigrant builders and architects shaped architectural streetscapes. In his recent book, The Decorated Tenement: How Immigrant Builders And Architects Transformed The Slum In The Gilded Age, Violette focuses on what he calls the “decorated tenement,” a wave of new buildings constructed by immigrant builders and architects who remade the slum landscapes of the Lower East Side of Manhattan and the North and West Ends of Boston in the late nineteenth century. Drawing on research and fieldwork of more than three thousand extant tenement buildings, Violette uses ornaments as an entry point to reconsider the role of tenement architects and builders (many of whom had deep roots in immigrant communities) in improving housing for the working poor.
Next Thursday, July 16 at 6:30pm.
Link in the bio!

📷: The Decorated Tenement

#nychistory #tenement #preservation @ New York, New York

Fellow preservation colleagues, today is the last day to fill out New York State's Historic Preservation Colleagues Surv...
06/26/2020
Account Login - Survey123 for ArcGIS

Fellow preservation colleagues, today is the last day to fill out New York State's Historic Preservation Colleagues Survey! The responses will help inform the 2021-25 NYS Preservation Plan.

Sign in to your Survey123 for ArcGIS account. Survey123 for ArcGIS is a complete, form-centric solution for creating smart surveys & forms, collecting data via web or mobile devices and analyzing results.

Today we celebrate the recipient of our 2020 Renaissance Award, Park Avenue Synagogue. Last year the Synagogue completed...
05/02/2020

Today we celebrate the recipient of our 2020 Renaissance Award, Park Avenue Synagogue. Last year the Synagogue completed a campus-wide renovation, with a program for the East 87th Street Synagogue House in tandem with the newly acquired building on East 89th Street.

The renovation, developed by Murphy Burnham & Buttrick Architects, provides a cohesive plan for the congregation's various needs. The 1980s post-modern structure at the corner of East 87th Street and Madison Avenue creates welcoming community spaces for the vibrant and growing congregation while contributing to the historic character of Madison Avenue.

The Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center is a landmarked Neo-Renaissance townhouse built in 1912. The renovation of both structures has a cohesive design that both complements each historic structure and serves to connect them. Both buildings are adorned with historic stained glass windows created by Adolf Gottlieb for Park Avenue Synagogue in the 1950s. According to MBB "the installation creates a visual connection [between the buildings] and honors the synagogue's rich history."

You can read more about the renovation design of Park Avenue Synagogue House and of the Eli M. Black Lifelong Learning Center at MBB's website (https://www.mbbarch.com/). And if you'd like a little more history on Park Avenue Synagogue and other religious institutions on the Upper East Side, we are joining our friends at MAS and Urban Archive to share a virtual Jane's Walk story, exploring historic photos of the Upper East Side's rich ecclesiastical ensemble. Follow the link below to see FRIENDS' contribution to this year's Jane's Walk NYC (from Home) weekend.

https://janeswalknyc.mas.org/stories/qXdJ3Y5KNEB

Join FRIENDS' Board President, Franny Eberhart, tomorrow, Wednesday, April 29, at 5 pm, for a review of the 30 years of ...
04/28/2020

Join FRIENDS' Board President, Franny Eberhart, tomorrow, Wednesday, April 29, at 5 pm, for a review of the 30 years of persistence and advocacy that finally insured the landmark protection of the First Avenue Estates. Along the way, we'll look at the growth of the preservation ethic and law, and the little-used but very important hardship provision. Don't forget to bring your own cake and champagne for this evening presentation!

https://friendsoftheues.ticketspice.com/a-perilous-path-to-protection

Every year, FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts celebrates outstanding achievement in preservation, archit...
04/17/2020

Every year, FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts celebrates outstanding achievement in preservation, architecture, and advocacy on the Upper East Side during our Annual Meeting & Awards. This year we have selected six award recipients that have demonstrated excellence in Restoration, Stewardship, Innovation, and more! While the in-person event is postponed, we couldn't wait to celebrate our amazing awardees. Over the course of the next five weeks we will be highlighting each one of them online.

Our 2020 Streetscape Award recipient is New York City Department of Parks & Recreation for street tree planting and tree guard installation. Since May 2019, the Parks Department has planted 78 new trees within Community Board 8, and plans to plant over 200 in the coming months.

The new trees come with a "I'M YOUR NEW TREE" tag with the tree species and a QR code.

Have you seen a new tree in your block? Has it started blooming yet? Take a picture of - or with! - your new tree and share it on instagram with the hashtag #FRIENDSAA2020 and don't forget to tag us!

Thank you @jackflynch1 for organizing such a wonderful event at @jmclaughlinny
12/06/2019

Thank you @jackflynch1 for organizing such a wonderful event at @jmclaughlinny

Look no further than Lexington Candy Shop, Two Little Red Hens Bakery, and Mansion Restaurant for all your egg cream, ba...
12/02/2019
New Yorkers tell us their favorite mom-and-pop stores in the city

Look no further than Lexington Candy Shop, Two Little Red Hens Bakery, and Mansion Restaurant for all your egg cream, baked good, and diner needs... just a few of the mom and pop gems on the Upper East Side and Yorkville. What are your favorites??

The OG small businesses that are the fabric of NYC.

Last night we had the amazing opportunity to tour Paul Rudolph’s modernist masterpiece, the Modulightor Building, and me...
11/22/2019

Last night we had the amazing opportunity to tour Paul Rudolph’s modernist masterpiece, the Modulightor Building, and meet Rudolph’s lifelong friend and Modulightor’s founder and resident, Ernst Wagner. Out of the eight stories designed by the modernist architect, only six are present at the East 58th Street building, and the top two were built only on 2007, 10 years after Mr. Rudolph’s death. The dynamic structure is very much a representation of Rudolph’s principles and a treat to everyone who visits it. Thank you, @paulrudolphfoundation for such an amazing evening.
#fueshd #modernarchitecture #historicpreservation #nychistory @ Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation

DOT plans to install dozen of bus shelters alongside Madison Avenue. FRIENDS believes that letting the project go throug...
11/13/2019
Madison Avenue Businesses Resist Plan For Bus Shelters

DOT plans to install dozen of bus shelters alongside Madison Avenue. FRIENDS believes that letting the project go through without a full hearing at the Landmarks Preservation Commission could set a dangerous precedent. Read more about this issue here:

Business and preservation groups claim bus shelters will ruin Madison Avenue's historic character, clutter sidewalks and deter shoppers.

Wonderful night hearing and seeing more about Central Park’s early history. Cynthia Brenwall’s marvelous book shows a be...
11/08/2019

Wonderful night hearing and seeing more about Central Park’s early history. Cynthia Brenwall’s marvelous book shows a beautiful collection of drawings of existing, never built, and unfortunately gone features of New York’s Greatest Treasure.
#nychistory #ueshistory #centralpark @ Abigail Adams Smith Museum

Fascinating talks last night by Stacy Horn and Judy Berdy at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, highlighting the dark unde...
10/31/2019

Fascinating talks last night by Stacy Horn and Judy Berdy at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, highlighting the dark underbelly of Roosevelt Island’s history. Topped off by a rainy night tram back to Manhattan - easily the best trip you can take with a Metrocard. #nychistory @ Roosevelt Island

Who is joining us for our "Back to Blackwell's" event Wednesday with Stacy Horn, author of "Damnation Island: Poor, Sick...
10/28/2019
Discover the Dark Past of Roosevelt Island

Who is joining us for our "Back to Blackwell's" event Wednesday with Stacy Horn, author of "Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad and Criminal in 19th Century New York," for a glimpse into the macabre past of Roosevelt Island?? Come get into the 🎃Halloween🎃 spirit with FRIENDS (and thanks Untapped New York for the feature 😘)!

Tix available here: https://friendsoftheues.ticketspice.com/back-to-blackwells-a-book-talk

Join author Stacy Horn and historian Judith Berdy for a trip back in time to the dark days of the 19th-century when Roosevelt Island was Blackwell’s Island!

Address

966 Lexington Ave
New York, NY
10021

Opening Hours

Monday 10:00 - 18:00
Tuesday 10:00 - 18:00
Wednesday 10:00 - 18:00
Thursday 10:00 - 18:00
Friday 10:00 - 18:00

Telephone

(212) 535-2526

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Comments

Does anyone know anything about the Jewish orphanage that used to be at 1646 York (87th St) in the early 1900s? I just found out my grandfather grew up there, about a block away from where I live. My mom shared a document from the Jewish Child Care Association of New York with that address.
I bought a VCR online about a year ago which had interviews with Hellfighters and video of their homecoming parade. I gave the video to someone who just mailed it back to me, but the video was stolen in transit. I can't find another copy. Do you have any information?
What's your favorite thing to do on the Upper East Side? https://www.collegemagazine.com/24-best-things-to-do-in-24-hours-in-upper-east-side/
Please help us save our park. First it's a small park on the West Side and then they come for yours.
I bought the book. It's fabulous! Didn't I read somewhere that there was also a video attached to the book? If so, what's the link.
The historic Jan Hus Church on E 74th Street hosts the Czechoslovak-Marionette Theater until October 27.
Join us on WED October 24 at 7pm. Some of the Czech and Slovak soldiers of WWI, who as members of the Czechoslovak Legions endured the amazing journey through Russia in 1917-1920, later emigrated to NYC and marched proudly in the Czechoslovak May parades on the UES. Please RSVP: [email protected]
I know that many of you may be interested in the below. As Community Board 8 fights for implementation of a 210 foot height limit (essentially 20 stories) for new construction along Third, Second, First and York Avenues, many developers are rushing to get into the ground. The below is one of many of those projects -- come and listen and see what you can do about it. The more of these buildings that go forward, the harder it is to argue for the height limit. Pass the invitation along to anyone you know who may be interested. This meeting is tomorrow!
Have a beautiful home for sale in Sarasota Florida if you know anyone looking for a permanent residence there or a vacation home. This is one of the rehab projects we took on, we are very motivated to sell and you won't be disappointed in this property! Take a look at the photos, read the description and think about it! Pretty close to Lido beach and not to far from the number 1 rated beach in the US, Siesta Key Beach!