Sunnyside Gardens, Queens
Encyclopedia
Sunnyside Gardens, in the Sunnyside
neighborhood of the New York City
borough of Queens
, was one of the first developments to incorporate the "superblock"
model in the United States. The complex was constructed from 1924 to 1929 by the New York City Housing Corporation, founded by developer Alexander Bing
.
The residential area has brick row houses of two and a half stories, with front and rear gardens and a landscaped central court shared by all. This model allowed for denser residential development, while also providing ample open/green-space amenities. Clarence Stein
and Henry Wright served as the architects and planners for this development, and the landscape architect was Marjorie Sewell Cautley
. These well-planned garden homes are listed as a historical district in the National Register of Historic Places
, and are also home to one of two private parks in New York City, the other being Gramercy Park
.
The Sunnyside Gardens Historic District is a national historic district
that includes 66 contributing buildings and 12 contributing sites. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1984.
In 2003, a grassroots movement started to request designation as a New York City Historic District, in response to lack of protection for the historic character of the homes in the neighborhood. As of 2007 neighborhood arguments over whether to move the neighborhood into stricter regulation under the New York City Landmarks Commission is causing some contention in the neighborhood. On April 17, 2007, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the neighborhood; 60 residents and advocates, including Fiona Lowenstein, a descendant of Henry Wright spoke in favor of landmark designation while 25 people spoke against.
Although the neighborhood was landmarked at a public hearing on June 26, 2007, there was great opposition in the neighborhood as documented by the New York Times and New York Public Radio. According to the New York Times, Sunnyside Gardens is a “Pocket of Queens Brimming with History and Now Resentment”. The controversy about how best to preserve the neighborhood, included a debate about preserving the historic community diversity vs. just the facades of the buildings which is the main regulation of landmarking. This was documented on New York Public Radio in a segment called "Cloud Over Sunnyside?"
Sunnyside, Queens
Sunnyside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens, in New York state, in the United States. It shares borders with Hunters Point and Long Island City to the west, Astoria to the north, Woodside to the east and Maspeth to the south...
neighborhood of the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, was one of the first developments to incorporate the "superblock"
City block
A city block, urban block or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest area that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a city, they form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric...
model in the United States. The complex was constructed from 1924 to 1929 by the New York City Housing Corporation, founded by developer Alexander Bing
Alexander Bing
Alexander M. Bing was an American real estate developer, businessman, author, artist, art patron and philanthropist in New York City....
.
The residential area has brick row houses of two and a half stories, with front and rear gardens and a landscaped central court shared by all. This model allowed for denser residential development, while also providing ample open/green-space amenities. Clarence Stein
Clarence Stein
Clarence Samuel Stein was an American urban planner, architect, and writer, a major proponent of the "Garden City" movement in the United States.- Biography :...
and Henry Wright served as the architects and planners for this development, and the landscape architect was Marjorie Sewell Cautley
Marjorie Sewell Cautley
Marjorie Sewell Cautley was an American landscape architect who played an influential yet often overlooked part in the conception and development of some early, visionary twentieth-century American communities. Her father was William Elbridge Sewell, who later became Governor of Guam...
. These well-planned garden homes are listed as a historical district in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, and are also home to one of two private parks in New York City, the other being Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
.
The Sunnyside Gardens Historic District is a national historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
that includes 66 contributing buildings and 12 contributing sites. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1984.
In 2003, a grassroots movement started to request designation as a New York City Historic District, in response to lack of protection for the historic character of the homes in the neighborhood. As of 2007 neighborhood arguments over whether to move the neighborhood into stricter regulation under the New York City Landmarks Commission is causing some contention in the neighborhood. On April 17, 2007, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the neighborhood; 60 residents and advocates, including Fiona Lowenstein, a descendant of Henry Wright spoke in favor of landmark designation while 25 people spoke against.
Although the neighborhood was landmarked at a public hearing on June 26, 2007, there was great opposition in the neighborhood as documented by the New York Times and New York Public Radio. According to the New York Times, Sunnyside Gardens is a “Pocket of Queens Brimming with History and Now Resentment”. The controversy about how best to preserve the neighborhood, included a debate about preserving the historic community diversity vs. just the facades of the buildings which is the main regulation of landmarking. This was documented on New York Public Radio in a segment called "Cloud Over Sunnyside?"
External links
- A Fact Sheet for Residents from the NYC Department of City Planning, Queens Office dated June 2002
- Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce - History
- WNET Channel 13 profile of Sunnyside Gardens
- July 23, 2003 Article about Landmarks Meeting
- Sunnyside Post, news site that covers events in Sunnyside and Sunnyside Gardens
- Queens Buzz Sunnyside Queens cultural web magazine