Landmarks unanimously designated despite community controversy. On June 26, 2007, Landmarks voted to designate Sunnyside Gardens, Sunnyside, Queens, as a historic district. A planned community designed by Clarence Stein and Henry Wright in the 1920s to house working class families, Sunnyside Gardens’ distinctive characteristics include its large landscaped courtyards and its mixture of single- and multi-family buildings. It was one of the first planned communities built by a private limited-dividend corporation, and, as a non-car … <Read More>
Search Results for: Community Gardens
Potential Sunnyside Gardens district proves divisive
Opposing sides report neighborhood friction, allegations of spying and harassment. On April 17, 2007, in front of an audience exceeding the hearing room’s capacity, Landmarks heard testimony on the potential designation of a Sunnyside Gardens Historic District. Sunnyside Gardens, a planned community built between 1924 and 1928, features a mixture of single-, double-, and multi-family dwellings arranged around large, landscaped open courtyards. Funded by a limited dividend company, the development provided high-quality housing for the … <Read More>
1920s planned community to be heard
- Built in the 1920s, Sunnyside Gardens influenced housing development throughout the country. Photo: LPC.
Idealistic planned suburban housing to be considered as historic district. On March 6, 2007, Landmarks voted to consider the potential designation of Sunnyside Gardens, a 600-building complex of one- and two-family homes and multi-family apartment buildings built between 1924 and 1928 in Sunnyside, Queens. Covering almost 16 blocks, only 28 percent of the site contains buildings, and much of the … <Read More>
City Announces Agreement to Save Elizabeth Street Garden, Build Affordable Housing in Lower Manhattan
On June 23, 2025, Mayor Eric Adams announced an agreement to create over 600 affordable homes in Lower Manhattan while preserving the Elizabeth Street Garden site, which had previously been scheduled for closure and redevelopment into housing.
NYCHA Secures Funding for Frederick Samuel Apartments Renovations
On September 26, 2024, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced renovations will be conducted at the Frederick Samuel Apartments through the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) project. Since, 1994 the New York City Housing Authority has managed the Frederick Samuel Apartments, which were constructed between 1910 and 1928. The renovations will cost $383.6 million and involve 660 apartments for roughly 1,200 New Yorkers living in the 40 residential buildings in Harlem. The upgrades … <Read More>
Public Design Commission Announces Election of Deborah Marton as President
On July 18, 2023, Deborah Marton, Executive Director of the Van Alen Institute, was unanimously elected President of the NYC Public Design Commission (PDC). Marton, who served as a PDC Commissioner since 2020, will build on former PDC President Signe Nielsen’s legacy by reviewing City-owned property designs and advocating for innovative, sustainable, and equitable public spaces and civic structures citywide.