It’s a Wrap: Replacement for Jetson-esque Building Tops Out on Second Avenue

Earlier this year, four historic tenement buildings on the southeast corner of East 75th Street and Third Avenue were demolished to pave way for a new 214 foot tall building, developed by the EJS Group and designed by Beyer Blinder Belle.

Continue reading

Scrapping the ‘Tower on Stilts’

We are thrilled to announce that 249 East 62nd Street, the poster-child example of egregious loopholes in supertalls, has been purchased by a new owner, with a new architect, and a new as-of-right design. The proposal that was dubbed the Jetsons' Building is "outta here"!

Continue reading

IN THE NEWS: Developer Zoning Fraud

The issue of zoning fraud, heightened by the Buildings Department’s broken self-certification program, was highlighted today in an opinion piece published today in Gotham Gazette, by Diana Florence, the former head of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Construction Fraud Task Force.

Continue reading
78th Street

Help FRIENDS Fight Against Upper East Side Mega-Towers

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? That's what I said when I saw this image showing the impact of two massive residential towers looming over a block of historic, elegant, five-story row houses like Behemoth Bookends.

Continue reading

FRIENDS Challenges “Periscope” Tower at Second Avenue and 62nd Street

From 1939-1941, every building in New York City’s Five Boroughs was documented in a series of Tax Photos through a joint effort by the Works Progress Administration and the New York City Department of Taxation.

Continue reading