Proposals Chipping Away at the Midblock
One of FRIENDS’ earliest initiatives, led by our founder Halina Rosenthal, was the successful effort to bring contextual zoning to the midblocks of the Upper East Side. The R8B zoning district was mapped across vast swaths of our midblocks in 1985, hailed by the New York Times as “the most sweeping zoning change in the area since 1961.” Since then, R8B has been one of our most reliable and successful mechanisms to preserve the low-rise
Annual Awards 2020
For the past 36 years, FRIENDS’ members gathered to celebrate outstanding achievement in preservation, architecture, and advocacy. This year, however, we were forced to cancel our 37th Awards Ceremony that was scheduled for April 1st. Over the past few months we have highlighted each awardee in different posts on our website, and today we celebrate them all.
Annual Awards 2020: Bringing the Outside In
Perhaps more than any time in recent memory, the profound disruption of urban life caused by the pandemic has reinforced the value of open space in our dense communities. With nowhere else to go, open spaces of all kinds have been a salve for the mind and for the soul, in addition to serving as welcome places for movement and recreation.
The Brownstone Bible is Back!
Preservationist and co-author Patrick Ciccone joined FRIENDS virtually on September 24th to discuss the process and development of the newest edition of Bricks and Brownstone.
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.
Decorated Tenement: An Illustrated History
Architectural historian Zachary Violette joined FRIENDS virtually in July 2020 to discuss his book, The Decorated Tenement: How Immigrant Builders And Architects Transformed The Slum In The Gilded Age.
Introducing “East Side Extra”
Introducing FRIENDS' new series of written pieces that offer a deep dive into lesser known areas of local history and advocacy.
The Fight to Save First Avenue Estate: Looking Back
FRIENDS recently capped its weeklong series exploring the cultural and historical context of Yorkville’s City and Suburban First Avenue Estate and the decades-long battle to preserve it, which relied upon both local advocates and the legal system at our country’s highest court.
Historic Yorkville Family Tour
Children of all ages explored historic Yorkville on this virtual family tour led by FRIENDS' Director of Education in June 2020.
Reimagined Row Houses
Andrew Dolkart discussed the history of early 20th century row house modernization, written about in The Row House Reborn, for FRIENDS in May 2020.