Sunnyside Gardens Historic District

Sunnyside Gardens was the creation of architects Clarence Stein and Henry Wright, developer Alexander Bing, and the City Housing Corporation. Both the architects and developer were members of the Regional Planning Association of America (RPAA), an organization committed to finding new approaches to providing quality housing for low-income workers. The district is the first American adaption of Englishman Ebenezer Howard's garden city concept, and the ideas developed here would later be improved upon in Radburn, New Jersey and Chatham Village in Pittsburgh.

The district contains hundreds of low-rise and low-density residential structures, organized around the perimeter of city blocks in order to create central, open-air courts of green space. The buildings were built in simplified design styles. Colonial Revival and art deco details were included sparingly and a variety of roof lines and setbacks were used to create visual interest. The objective of the project was to create affordable housing with quality amenities for residents such as mechanics, chauffeurs, municipal employees, tradesmen, and teachers.

Stein, Wright and Bing attached easements to each property in order to guarantee that the communal open space and low-density character would be preserved, but in 1966 the easements expired. Consequently, many residents blocked off sections of the communal lawn and made significant structural changes in the years that followed. In 1981, the Sunnyside Gardens Conservancy, also known as the Sunnyside Foundation for Community Planning and Preservation, worked with the Trust for Public Land to create incentives to encourage residents to restore both the residences and the open space. Their efforts were largely successful, and today the community retains its unique character and desirability. ©2014