Queens Tribune

The City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission voted last week to designate Sunnyside Gardens as the seventh and newest historic district in Queens.

“It’s wonderful to be able to add Sunnyside Gardens to the list of protected landmarks,” said Paul Graziano, president of Historic District Council. “Congratulations to the neighbors who worked so hard to get this designation passed and we look forward to its support from the City Planning Commission and City Council.”

The designation has been four years in the making and brings the total number of historic districts citywide to 88.

“Awarding landmark status to Sunnyside Gardens will preserve the character of a very special neighborhood,” said City Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside) who resides in the Gardens with his family.

According to HDC, the Sunnyside Historic District was constructed between 1924 and 1928 on barren land in Western Queens, and consists of a series of nine “courts” or rows of townhouses and nine small apartment buildings (four to six stories tall), built on all or part of 16 blocks, a total of 624 buildings. The district also includes the Phipps Garden Apartment buildings (two courtyard apartment buildings constructed in 1932 and 1935) and Sunnyside Park, one of only two private parks in New York City.

Not everyone, however, was in favor of designating Sunnyside Gardens as a historic district. Opponents have organized rallies over the years, citing unwanted demographic changes and increased property values that might exclude the middle class as possible negative effects of the designation.

“We don’t want our monthly expenses to go up and don’t want to be driven out of the neighborhood,” said Judith Sloan of the Preserve Sunnyside Gardens Coalition. “We are not part of a group of people who can make money off of making Sunnyside Gardens a ‘commodity.’ We are invested in our community of people, not just the buildings. Most of us just wanted a place to live.”

Local elected officials who represent Sunnyside are divided on this landmarking issue. Along with Gioia, Assemblywomen Catherine Nolan (D-Ridgewood) and Margaret Markey (D-Maspeth) are proponents. State Senators Serphin Maltese (R-Glendale) and George Onorato (D-Long Island City) are against the designation.

Maltese and Onorato were unavailable for comment.

“I believe the preservation of this neighborhood is vital, not only for residents, but also as an integral part of our City’s historic and cultural heritage,” Gioia said.

Jim Trent of the Four Borough Neighborhood Preservation Alliance said this decision was long overdue.

“We had been pushing for this [landmarking] for years,” Trent explained. “We wish it happened sooner. Anytime you wait to landmark something, the more difficult it is to get. But we’re happy about it, and hope that this will lead to a trend in landmarking in Queens.”