CPC Hearing: Affordable Housing Fast Track Rules
On April 1, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., the New York City Planning Commission (CPC) will hold a public hearing on proposed rules to implement the new Affordable Housing Fast Track program, one of the ballot proposals approved by voters in last November’s election. These rules will shape how neighborhoods are evaluated for housing production—and determine where major projects may move forward with significantly reduced public review.
Another Piece of Yorkville’s History Shattered: St. Elizabeth of Hungary to Be Replaced by Luxury Condos
For more than 130 years, St. Elizabeth of Hungary at 213 East 83rd Street served as a spiritual home and cultural cornerstone for generations of German and Slovak immigrants in Yorkville. Built in 1893, the church stood at the heart of the neighborhood’s working-class community, sustaining faith, language, and tradition across decades of change. Despite a concerted effort by FRIENDS and a coalition of neighbors to secure landmark protection, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) declined
The Doelger Building Deserves Protection, Not a Wrecking Ball
FRIENDS is deeply dismayed by reports that the Doelger Building will be demolished and replaced with a luxury condominium tower. Another irreplaceable piece of Yorkville’s architectural and cultural heritage now stands on the brink of erasure. The four-story Art Deco Doelger Building at Third Avenue and East 84th Street is slated to give way to a 37-story, 510-foot tower with 120 apartments, parking, and commercial space—an outcome that disregards the building’s profound significance to Yorkville
The Vertical Shift: Supertalls Push Into the Upper East Side
A new generation of supertall towers — some soaring well beyond 1,000 feet — is pushing north from Midtown and reshaping the neighborhood’s identity. Even just beyond the UES line, projects like the proposed 1,240-foot tower at 625 Madison Avenue illustrate how supertalls are edging ever closer, pressing against the district’s boundaries.
2026 Annual Awards Call for Entries
This spring, FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic Districts will celebrate outstanding achievement in preservation, architecture, and advocacy on the Upper East Side during our 2026 Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony.
News from FRIENDS – Fall 2025
The Fall 2025 issue is here, delivering a powerful look at the most urgent preservation battles and victories shaping the Upper East Side. This issue dives into the crisis of affordable housing and development, featuring an Open Letter to Mayoral Candidates. You will also find an in-depth analysis of the Mayor’s Charter Revision proposals going to a November vote, with FRIENDS urging a NO vote on measures #2, 3, and 4 that threaten to weaken
2025 Ambassador of the Upper East Side Award Dinner
On September 30, FRIENDS of the Upper East Side gathered for a special evening to present the 2025 Ambassador of the Upper East Side Award to Christian Keesee and Larry Keigwin. Honored for their remarkable contributions to the arts, culture, and historic preservation in New York City, the event celebrated their enduring impact on the cultural vitality of our neighborhood.
Mayor’s Charter Revision Push Goes to Voters This November
This November, New Yorkers will not only vote for elected officials—they will also decide on a series of ballot measures that could significantly expand mayoral authority and reshape longstanding mechanisms for community oversight in the city’s land use and development process. Behind the bureaucratic language of “streamlining” and “fast-tracking,” the Mayor’s Charter Revision Commission is advancing a dangerous agenda: weakening public input and consolidating control over land use decisions that shape every block, building, and
1000 Park Avenue Receives the FRIENDS 2025 Exterior Restoration Award!
Susan Tunick, artist and President of Friends of Terra Cotta, presented the FRIENDS Exterior Restoration Award to the team behind the restoration of the 1000 Park Avenue façade, completed in 2024. The three-year project involved extensive cleaning and the repair of deteriorated terra cotta elements on this Emery Roth-designed building.
FRIENDS Publication Award Celebrates “Rosario Candela and the New York Apartment 1927–1937”
At the Annual Awards Ceremony on April 17, 2025, Janet Ross presented the Publication Award to the authors of Rosario Candela and the New York Apartment 1927–1937.