At FRIENDS, we relish our role as your watchdog for the Upper East Side. We fight to protect everything you love about the neighborhood — the gorgeous architecture, the tree-lined streets, and the mom-and-pop businesses. The work we do takes vigilance and persistence, patience and passion — and we get results!

Still, it's not every day that we get to celebrate two major preservation victories in a single afternoon!

In June, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate two unique Yorkville buildings as individual landmarks: The First Hungarian Reformed Church on East 69th Street, and The National Society of Colonial Dames Headquarters on East 71st Street.

FRIENDS was crucially involved in every step of this lengthy landmark designation process, and our compelling testimony helped persuade the Commission to protect both sites for their exceptional historical, cultural, and architectural significance.

We can't expect to win two decisive victories every day, but with your essential support, FRIENDS will always be your hardworking "boots on the ground."

Day in and day out,

• We walk these beautiful blocks to identify the buildings that need to be preserved, and the out-of-scale developments that need to be stopped.
• We testify before the Landmarks Preservation Commission and other city agencies.
• We work with local elected officials.
• We battle against zoning abuses by developers, and we advocate for zoning amendments that will protect the special aesthetic quality, livability, history, and culture of the Upper East Side.

Please consider a year-end gift of $100, $1000, or more to FRIENDS. Your generous donation makes our daily preservation work possible — and enables us to protect the neighborhood we all cherish.

With thanks and best wishes for the holiday season,

Franny Eberhart
President

P.S. As your advocate for nearly four decades, FRIENDS' preservation legacy continues to grow. Our current tally includes seven designated historic districts and 131 individual landmarks — a total of 1,907 protected buildings!