Detailed Historical Overview

The Gosman Farmhouse was built in 1782 and was typical of the houses built in Sunnyside during colonial times. The image and Information are from Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce

The Sunnyside Roadside Hotel - Sunnyside Chamber

There are conflicting accounts of the origin of Sunnyside's name. By one account, Sunnyside was named after Sunnyside Railroad Station, which was built across the street in 1850 from the Sunnyside Roadhouse Hotel. ^[1] Another account states that Sunnyside's name came from the Sunnyside Roadhouse Hotel itself, which was built on Jackson Avenue to serve visitors of the Fashion Race Course in Corona during the 1850s and 1860s.^[2][3] This name was then extended to the small settlement of houses, farms, and roadhouses that had developed in the area between Northern Boulevard and Queens Boulevard by 1846. ^[4][5] According to a third account, Sunnyside was named after Sunnyside Hill Farm, which was owned by the Bragaw family in the 1800s. ^[6]

In 1850, the Sunnyside Railroad Station was built, although the area still consisted of swamps and farmland, present since colonial times, until the 1900s. ^[7] From 1902 to 1905, the Pennsylvania Railroad bought all land south of Northern Boulevard between 21st and 43rd Streets to create a railyard. By 1908, it had completely leveled the land and filled in the swamps and by 1910, Sunnyside Yards opened.^[8] Due to the construction of Sunnyside Yards, however, the community between Northern and Queens Bouvelards had to shift south to where Sunnyside is located today.^[9]

With the completion of the Queensboro Bridge in 1909 and the 1917 opening of the Interborough Rapid Transit elevated Flushing line/Number 7 train, Sunnyside experienced quickening development.^[10][11] These new means of access made the development of Sunnyside Gardens from 1924 to 1928, the first "garden community"^[12] in the United States, attractive to its developers. ^[13] Also around the same time, the housing development Metropolitan Houses was built by the Metropolitan Insurance Company to serve low-income families and is today called Cosmopolitan Houses.^[14]

The completion of the IRT Flushing line extension through Sunnyside in 1917 enticed many middle- and lower-middle-class workers to live there. These residents consisted of blue-collar workers such as mechanics, office-workers, and tradesmen as well as several writers, artists, teachers, doctors and other professionals.^[15] In the next ten years, Sunnyside became greatly developed as a residential neighborhood.^[16]

Sunnyside’s residents have historically included immigrants. Early settlers consisted of Irish, German, Czech, Dutch, and other European immigrants.^[17][18] Irish immigration, however, particularly characterized the area - so much so that Sunnyside became known as the "Irish East Bank."^[19] Like most residents who came to Sunnyside in the early 1900s, the Irish also tended to be blue-collar workers.^[20] To serve the area's burgeoning Irish population, Celtic Park, a recreation and sports center, also arose at the beginning of the 20th century.^[21]

Go to Significant Changes Over Time.

References

1. ↑ http://www.sunnysidechamber.org/shistory.html
2. ↑ http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19768643&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=580221&rfi=6
3. ↑ http://www.sunnysidechamber.org/shistory.html
4. ↑ http://www.sunnysidechamber.org/shistory.html
5. ↑ Queens Library, “Sunnyside: Community Information,” Queens Library.org, Queens Library, 2009, 13 Mar. 2009 <http://www.queenslibrary.org/index.aspx?page_nm=CL-Communityinfo&branch_id=SU>
6. ↑ Queens Library
7. ↑ Queens Library
8. ↑ http://www.sunnysidechamber.org/shistory.html
9. ↑ The Neighborhoods of Queens
10. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/realestate/04livi.html?sq=sunnyside&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=print
11. ↑ Queens Library
12. ↑ http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/pioneering-queens-garden-community-flourishes-anew/16589/?print=2228157321
13. ↑ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E07E3D81639F930A35754C0A965948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print
14. ↑ http://www.sunnysidechamber.org/OldDays/metropolitan.html
15. ↑ http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/SunnysideGardens.pdf
16. ↑ http://www.forgotten-ny.com/NEIGHBORHOODS/sunnyside/sunnyside.html
17. ↑ http://www.queenscourier.com/articles/2007/07/12/special/business/news13.prt
18. ↑ http://www.sunnysidechamber.org/shistory.html
19. ↑ http://nymag.com/realestate/articles/affordable/sunnyside.htm
20. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/03/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-of-living-in-sunnyside.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print
21. ↑ http://www.forgotten-ny.com/NEIGHBORHOODS/sunnyside/sunnyside.html

This page was created by Amy Lu.