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.
A Celebration of all things Yorkville!
On Saturday, April 30th, FRIENDS and the Historic Districts Council hosted “Yorkville: A Celebration of Home” at the lovely Bohemian National Hall, an individual New York City landmark. Held in the Hall’s stunning Grand Ballroom, Majda Kallab Whitaker of the Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association provided a fascinating overview of the Hall’s history and careful restoration.
Join FRIENDS for our Spring Events!
What was it like to live in Yorkville when 86th Street was known as German Broadway, when the smell of hops from the Ruppert and Ehret’s breweries filled the air, and when a stop at Paprika Weiss on 82nd Street preceded daily exercise at Sokol Hall? FRIENDS and the Historic
FRIENDS Introduces New Technology to Rediscover Old Buildings
SMARTPHONES MAKE SMART FRIENDS!! On May 9th, over 125 Yorkville enthusiasts joined us for an awesome adventure, using an interactive web application to explore the history of our neighborhood. Players raced around Yorkville accomplishing photo challenges to identify architectural details, replicate historic photos, and imitate ornamental building features. They made
Think You Know the Upper East Side? Prove It at our Yorkville Urban History Hunt!
In partnership with the Go Game, FRIENDS is offering a high-tech urban adventure, sending teams on a mission to discover the remnants of Yorkville’s history!
Get Your German On with Ronda Wist
It’s been home to many New York City mayors, boasts one of Manhattan’s most scenic parks, and retains remnants of its past as one of the city’s largest German enclaves. It’s Yorkville, and historic preservation expert Ronda Wist, President of Wist Preservation Associates and Board Member of FRIENDS of the
LPC Reverses Decision on Potential Landmarks!!
As we announced earlier this week, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) was poised to “de-calendar” nearly 100 buildings under consideration for landmark status in one fell swoop on Tuesday, December 9th.
ADVOCACY UPDATE: Recent Frick expansion coverage from the New York Times
On Sunday Robin Pogrebin at the New York Times published an article about the Frick expansion, bringing to light a statement from the museum’s testimony before the landmarks Preservation Commission in 1973:
Recent opposition to the Frick expansion from HDC and the New York Times
Last week the Historic Districts Council released a statement opposing the proposed Frick expansion, saying among other things that “HDC finds the proposal in its current form to be a myopic solution for expansion, and one that would compromise the museum’s setting and genteel atmosphere.