Zion St. Marks, at 339 East 84th Street, was built in 1889 for The German Evangelical Church of Yorkville and designed by Michael J. Fitz Mahoney. The church, a stunning example of neo-Gothic architecture, has been a community space since the 19th century. When the Zion Evangelical Lutheran congregation moved into the building in 1892, it began offering German language mass, religious education, and social events. The congregation became a vital part of the Yorkville German community, and also provided a heaven for members of the Lower East Side’s St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, after that congregation was decimated by the 1904 General Slocum disaster when an excursion steamboat caught fire and sank during a chartered trip for the congregation. The two congregations merged in 1946 to create today’s Zion-St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. Just as the congregation proudly proclaimed its German heritage in the 19th century with an inscription in German on the facade, the church maintains that identity today, and continues to support Yorkville’s German community, with bi-lingual Mass in German and English, as well as with German language classes, and German film programs.

Founded by Maria Bowen Chapin, Miss Chapin's School for Girls and Kindergarten for Boys and Girls opened in 1901 at 12 West 47th Street with 78 students and 7 teachers. Eventually expanding and occupying a couple of buildings, the school moved to its current location in 1928. Delano and Aldrich, a New York architecture firm, designed and built the neoclassical building that the school still occupies at 100 East End Avenue. It was at this location that the school's name was changed to the Chapin School at Ms. Chapin's request.

St. Stephen’s parish was founded in 1902 to serve the Hungarian immigrant population of the Lower East Side. With the upward migration of the Hungarian population to Yorkville, in 1928 the congregation constructed a new church, parochial school, community center, and adjoining rectory on 408 East 82nd Street. The Romanesque Revival-style building was designed by Hungarian architect Emil Szendy. The building’s inventive design combines the school and church into one structure. The church was an important and central place for the Hungarian community, and after World War II it became the center for actions directed against the Soviet Union’s occupation of Hungary. Today, the parish of St. Stephen’s has been relocated to St. Monica’s on East 79th Street, but the School is still active and popular for families in Yorkville.

Webster Branch, November 20, 1928. Constructed in 1906 to the designs of the architectural firm of Babb, Cook & Willard, the Webster Branch of the New York Public Library became an important community hub for the neighborhood's large Czech population. The library provided Czech newspapers and magazines, children’s story hours in Czech, a location for Bohemian Club meetings, and exhibition space for cultural displays.

Greek Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist, 1930. This church building, which according to the photographer's notes was once a synagogue, has had some major facade alteration since this image was taken. The circular windows have been made rectangular, the stairs now sit snug up against the building and flat roofline cornice has been removed.

Frame House at No. 412 East 85th Street, 1932. This still standing, three-story, Italianate style, wood-frame home was likely built in 1861 for a James R. Reed. It is a somewhat unlikely survivor. Only a few years after its construction, a law was passed banning the building of wood-frame structures below 86th Street. Similarly these wooden structures were often targeted for demolition and redevelopment in the late 19th century, being seen as fire hazards and detriments to neighborhood improvement and progress. In the 1890s the original single family house was converted into three apartments with a commercial ground floor space. From the first decade of the 20th century until the 1950s the ground floor was occupied by J. Herbst and Sons, a monument and gravestone business (samples of their products can be seen in this photograph). During the later part of the 20th century the house fell into disrepair, but in 1996 new owners restored its facade to closely resemble the earliest known look of the building.

412 EAST 85TH STREET HOUSE, MANHATTAN Address: 412 East 85th Street c. 1860 This Italianate style house stands as a reminder of Yorkville’s transition from farmland and country estates to a denser, residential character. The building appears to date to circa 1860, though it is possible that it was built earlier as an ancillary farm structure, moved to this location and renovated in the Italianate style, as this was a common practice. If it was, in fact, constructed circa 1860, it is one of the last frame buildings to be constructed before the city fire code outlawed wood frame construction south of 86th Street. The house has sustained some changes over the years, including conversion to apartments with a commercial ground floor, the removal of some of its details and the re-cladding of the façade. However, it has been cared for time and time again. In 1996, a major restoration was undertaken to simulate the building’s original appearance.

Public School 158, 1920. This large school which fronts York Avenue from 77th to 78th Streets opened on Jan. 9, 1899. For more than four years, a school trustee, W. Horithal, had been advocating for a school building to education the rapidly growing population of immigrant children in the neighborhood. Today the school is named for Bayard Taylor, an American poet, literary critic, translator, travel author, and diplomat.

St. Joseph’s Church, the tallest building on the block in this 1934 photo, was built in 1884 by architect William Schinckel. The congregation was founded a decade before by Jesuit priests, seeking to serve the growing German population of Yorkville. The Romanesque Revival building at 420 East 87th Street still retains much of its architectural integrity, including the ornate rose window and distinctive copper-clad bell tower. Throughout its history, St. Joseph’s has been dedicated to fostering German culture and traditions. In 2008, German-born Pope Benedict XVI led a prayer service in St. Joseph’s during his visits to New York City.

The four buildings of the former Shively Sanitary Tenements (a.k.a.East River Homes, Vanderbilt Model Tenements); 1911. Built in 1910-11, the Shively Sanitary Tenements, named for Dr. Henry Shively, were an experiment in housing for sufferers of tuberculosis and their families. Shively, architect Henry Atterbury Smith, and benefactor Anne Harriman Vanderbilt envisioned a housing development where poor tuberculosis patients could receive treatment in an environment replete with fresh air and sunlight — without being quarantined from their non-infected families. Smith's design prioritized features encouraging exposure to fresh air: open stairways, courtyards, rooftop recreation areas, and triple-hung windows were all thought to confer therapeutic benefits. The trustees were ultimately unable to provide meaningful help to poor New Yorkers with tuberculosis, though not for any failure of design or treatment — the apartments were simply too expensive for the communities they were intended to serve. In 1923, the trust governing the project was dissolved and the buildings sold for residential use. In 1986, the residential units were again turned over for condo conversion, with the new development dubbed the Cherokee apartments, after neighboring Cherokee Place.

St. Joseph's Roman Catholic, April 7, 1928. The origins of St. Joseph’s Parish date to the 1860s when a small German-speaking community of Catholic immigrants worshiped the chapel of an orphanage on the Upper East Side. In 1873 the community approached the Jesuits who ran the first church in the neighborhood (St. Lawrence O’Toole Church, now St. Ignatius Loyola) and requested a German-speaking priest. St. Joseph's was established that year and a new, modest, brick church was dedicated the following year. The German community, Yorkville, boomed over the next few decades. A school was established and the church passed from the jurisdiction of the Jesuits to the Archdiocese of New York. By the middle of the 1890s, the church building was deemed too small. William Schickel, a well-known architect and German immigrant, himself, was commissioned to design a larger space. Completed in 1895, the Romanesque Revival church included extensive stained glass windows and a new, modern organ. The bell tower was not completed until 1926 (seen here a few years later). The local German community grew even larger in the first decade of the 20th century, with German speakers leaving Kleindeutschland and moving to Yorkville. Though there is little trace of the once vibrant German population here today, the church continues to serve the local community from its 19th century home.

Rowhouses at East 87th Street and East End Avenue, ca. 1882. The corner building is No. 558 East 87th Street. This development of 32 Queen Anne houses, built between 1880-1882 by the Lamb & Rich firm and developer John Henderson, comprises the Henderson Place Historic District (so named for the one-block dead-end alley at the rear of the homes pictured).

FDR Drive, north of 78th Street, ca. 1979. The City and Suburban Homes Company was a firm established in 1896 whose goal was to create humanely designed tenements that produce a substantial profit. In 1901 they began filling the block between 78th and 79th and York and First Avenue. The block would eventually include 13 model tenements. The one outlier on the block was the building at the northwest corner of 78th Street and the East River. Constructed in 1910-1912 as a joint project with the Junior League of New York, the building was called the Junior League Hotel for Working Women, and was a residence specifically for single women. Designed by Philip Ohm, in a simple style with neo-Renaissance features. The original entrance was facing the water on what was then quiet Exterior Street (now elevated and noisy FDR Drive). In 1913, there were 317 residents including 40 stenographers, 32 dressmakers, 18 librarians, 14 milliners and 5 telegraphers. In 1978-1980 the building was converted into apartments and after threats of demolition in the 1980s, the building was lanmarked in 1990. Today the building remains residential, though the entrance now sits , safely, on East 78th Street.

Henderson Place, 1927. Henderson Place was a grouping of 32 buildings constructed in 1881-1882 by developer John C. Henderson. These lovely Queen Anne style dwellings were built for “persons of moderate means.” Designed by the architectural firm of Lamb & Rich, the homes featured wide arched entryways, steep roofs, terra cotta details, and projecting bays windows. The eight homes on the west side of this quaint dead end street (seen here in the photo) were demolished by the time the enclave became a historic district in 1969. They have been replaced by a large residential tower. The homes on the east side of Henderson Place remain in excellent shape.

St. Monica Roman Catholic Church, ca. 1905. Founded in 1879, St. Monica's was the fourth Catholic parish established on the Upper East Side. While the first services were conducted in a small second-story store space, the church moved into its first new church building in 1883. In 1906 the firm of Schickel & Ditmars, well known for their Catholic church architecture completed the current church. The Gothic Revival building opened for services on Thanksgiving Day.

Eberhardt's House of Vienna, date unknown. In the 1960s this spot at 320 East 79th Street was bar and restaurant called Eberhardt's House of Vienna. Then it became Ma Pomme, a French restaurant. By 1972, it was the Neopolitan Noodle which was the scene of a mistaken mob hit on August 11, 1972. Here is the story: To avenge the death of Joseph “Crazy Joe” Gallo, a member of the Colombo crime family, a hitman was hired to kill four men who had supposedly set up Gallo's murder. They were Colombo family acting boss "Little Allie" Persico and three mob lieutenants. (This was an intra-family crime wave.) The man arrived and sat at the bar, where his marks were supposed to be sitting as well. Instead, they had moved to a table, and the hitman mistook four kosher meat sellers for his targets. He pulled out two long-barreled pistols and began shooting. Two of the meat sellers died while the others were seriously injured. The gunman was never found. Today, the building that housed these restaurants as well the others that followed (Chez Z and Vienna ‘79) is the Albanian Consulate. Thanks to UA user Anne Raso for this tip about this spot's interesting history.

10 Gracie Square ca. 1945 One of the most exclusive and prestigious addresses in New York 10 Gracie Square on 84th street and the east river overlooking Carl Schurz Park was designed by Pennington and Lewis in 1930. Vincent Astor the developer of Gracie Square wanted to create a new upper class residential district. Gloria Vanderbuilt, conductor Andre Kostelanetz, critic Alexander Woolcott, publishers John Fairchild and Horace Havemayer III were a few of the residents of the 42 large duplex apartments. The exterior is red brick except for the main façade in limestone with an "asymmetrical fenestration" pattern. The intriguing rooftop loggia made from square columns and chimneys sets it apart as the grandest and most desirable residence.

The Church of St. Monica was founded in 1879 by the same pastor that had founded St. Joseph’s. St. Monica’s grew out of humble beginnings, with the mission to serve the expanding Irish Catholic population of the neighborhood. The current building at 413 East 79th Street, shown here at the year of its completion, 1905, was designed in a Gothic Revival style by the firm Schickel & Ditmars. Its facade on East 79th Street remains nearly unchanged since construction.