About

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ARCHIVE

Below, you’ll find some highlights from 35+ years of FRIENDS’ work in the neighborhood.

Since 1982, Friends has been publishing informative, provocative and fun newsletters. Published throughout the year, we report on preservation issues affecting the Upper East Side, neighborhood history, events, and our work advocating for the protection of the Upper East Side’s remarkable built environment. This publication is complimentary with an annual membership subscription.

Newsletter Archive


Fall 2021

Spring 2019
fall 2018 newsletter
Fall 2018

Winter 2017

Winter 2016 / Spring 2017
winter 2016 newsletter
Winter 2016

Summer 2016

Summer 2015

Winter 2014

Summer 2014

Spring 2013

Fall 2013

Spring 2012

Fall 2012

Spring 2011

Fall 2011

Fall 2010

Winter 2009 / 10
winter newsletter 2009-10
Spring 2009

Winter 2008 / 09

Fall 2008

Summer 2008

Winter 2007 / 08

Winter 2006

Summer 2006
winter 2005 newsletter
Winter 2005
summer 2005 newsletter
Summer 2005

Winter 2004

Winter 2003

Summer 2003

Summer 2001
winter 2000 newsletter
Winter 2000
fall 2000 newsletter
Fall 2000

Winter 1998

Fall 1998

Spring / Summer 1998

Fall / Winter 1997

Spring / Summer 1997
winter 1996 video
Winter / Spring 1996

Spring 1992

Fall 1991

Spring / Summer 1988

Spring 1987

June 1983
Modern Architecture on the Upper East Side: Landmarks of the Future, is a catalogue that accompanied the eponymous exhibit curated and organized by FRIENDS in 2001-2002. It was intended to promote a greater appreciation and understanding of modern architecture on the Upper East Side by highlighting distinguished, yet unprotected modern-style buildings.

Landmarks of the Future Cover
FRIENDS has been publishing a version of our neighborhood map and guide since 1999. Originally conceived as a way of introducing visitors and residents alike to the wide array of historic architecture on the Upper East Side, the map and guide has evolved through various iterations over its lifetime. The most recent edition, published by FRIENDS in 2019, takes the form of a short booklet and includes a special spotlight on the historic and cultural resources, including those of Yorkville.
Written by Anthony Robins for FRIENDS in 2007, this walking tour guide served as a key instrument in our campaign for expansion of the Upper East Side Historic District to include portions of Lexington Avenue, in recognition of that corridor’s special and unique character. The expansion was designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2010.
An early project of FRIENDS, the Preservation Manual, first published in 1989 with a second edition in 1994, was designed as a simple resource guide to the work and processes of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Though very much of its time, the Preservation Manual was meant to allow anyone working on historic buildings – property and store owners, tenants, architects, preservationists, attorneys, and contractors – to have a better understanding of how decisions are made about designating and maintaining individual landmarks and buildings in historic districts.

FRIENDS has long been dedicated to shining a light on Yorkville and the eastern Upper East Side, which boasts a distinct immigrant history and remains home to significant architectural and cultural resources tied to that narrative. Through projects such as the “Other Upper East Side” exhibit in 1993, a neighborhood-wide survey completed with the help of volunteers, and several collaborative projects undertaken with students in Columbia University’s graduate program in Historic Preservation, FRIENDS began to document the history of these buildings. Earlier research efforts culminated in the publication of an original book and short documentary film series, both titled, Shaped by Immigrants: A History of Yorkville, and these projects form the backbone of our advocacy to bring more recognition and preservation protection to Yorkville’s historic architecture.
FRIENDS of the Upper East Side 2020