Historic Sunnyside

During colonial times, the area of Sunnyside was under the ownership of the Bragraws Family who owned and ran the Sunnyside Hill Farms, from which the neighborhood took its name. Sunnyside in the 1800s was a hamlet with several dairy farms with the earliest settlers being predominantly Irish, with smaller Czech and Dutch communities. In 1870, Sunnyside was incorporated into Long Island City, and would later become part of Queens in 1898.

By 1909, the Queensboro Bridge was completed and Sunnyside began to transform into a bedroom community as New York City urbanized. Many 6-story apartment buildings were built alongside traditional housing during the period of the 1920s-1930s. It was also around this time that the United States’ first “garden city” was established in Sunnyside - Sunnyside Gardens. From the 1920s to the 1960s, the neighborhood’s composition continued to evolve, with more Irish, Italian, and Jewish, immigrants arrive, this despite the effects of the Great Depression which saw the eviction of many Irish blue-collar workers from the area. With increasing Manhattan rents, relatively cheap housing, and more housing being made, immigrants and their descendants moved into Sunnyside.

Sunnyside Gardens was created with inspiration from England’s garden city movement. Sunnyside was the site of the Sunnyside Arena, which until its demolishment in 1977, had a 30-year run of being the go-to spot for many to watch boxing and wrestling matches. Formerly a tennis club in the 20s, Sunnyside Arena was sold in 1947, and went on to host boxing matches from amateur to Golden Glove tournaments, alongside wrestling matches which featured fighters such as Sky Low Low and Sonny Boy Hayes. Shortly after the Gardens’ completion, the Great Depression arrived, and Sunnyside residents resisted city officials who came to evict them. 

Sunnyside Gardens were protected by 40-year easements which ended in the mid-1960s. When they ended, residents rushed to fence off their property in fear of being cheated out of land, extending their fencing into the courtyards. About 10 years later, the Department of City Planning responded by designating the Gardens as a special planned community preservation district, which extended rules to protect the inner courts and landscaping, alongside instilling rules about any future modifications to property. In 1984 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and given landmark status by NYC in 2007.

Due to a combination in restrictive immigration policy from both the 20s and the 60s prioritization of immigration for family reunification, Irish immigration to the neighborhood decreased and by the 1980s more Turkish, Korean, Romanian, Colombian and other Hispanic immigrant groups moved into the neighborhood. Irish immigration picked back up in the 90s due to policy changes, which allowed for the Irish community to reinforce its presence in modern day Sunnyside. Contemporary Sunnyside’s most represented countries by population are Ecuador, Colombia, Korea, Mexico, Bangladesh, China, Dominican Republic, Romania, India, and Ireland.

Sunnyside has been featured in a variety of films such as Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Opportunists, The Believer, Raising Helen, and Sleepers with shows such as 30 Rock, Broad City, and Sunnyside having filmed episodes here. Sunnyside was also the starting point of The Ramones who used to play in some of the local pubs. Sunnyside Park was the practice site of The Mustangs youth football team, coached by the New York Giants’ Hap Moran. Additionally, a handful of celebrities lived in Sunnyside including former pro wrestler Chris Kanyon; musicians Rudy Vallée, Judy Holliday, Perry Como, Bix Beiderbecke, and Johanna Magdalena Beyer; actors Joe Spinnell, Nancy Walker, and James Caan; as well as activists Suze Rotolo and Lewis Mumford.