History over years
Adventure
History of Sunnyside, Queens
Many things have changed through out the years in Sunnyside
SUNNYSIDE extends from the Sunnyside Railroad Yards along Skillman Avenue in the north to the Queens-Midtown Expressway in the south between 30th and about 58th Streets. Originally slower to develop than its immediate neighbors, Long Island City and Astoria, Sunnyside was transformed into a bustling residential neighborhood by the opening of the Queensboro Bridge and then the IRT Flushing Line along Queens Boulevard. In recent years, its main claim to fame was the presence of the Museum of Modern Art while its Manhattan home on West 53rd Street underwent extensive renovations, but as Christina is about to relate, it’s not about to take a back seat to its more established neighbors to the west…
Historical Locations
Historic Landmarks
Tour around this historical landmarks in Sunnyside, Queens.
It all started with a farm owned by the Bragaw family, French Huguenot settlers who purchased the land from the Dutch in 1713. They named their estate ‘Sunnyside Hill’ because the property afforded them breathtaking views of the sunrises and sunsets. Sunnyside Hill and other area farms were occupied by British forces during the Revolutionary War.
It was the ‘Sunnyside Hotel,’ built nearby, that started the ball rolling in the development of present-day Sunnyside, Queens. Named after the adjacent farm, the hotel opened in the 1840’s near what would be Webster and Jackson Avenues (now 37th Ave. and Northern Boulevard). Its clientele was mainly visitors to nearby cemeteries. From 1854 to 1866, it also catered to patrons of the National Race Course in Corona (renamed ‘Fashion Race Track’ in 1856).
More Historic Landmarks
Explore more Sunnyside
More Historic Landmarks to explore here in Sunnyside, Queens.
Artistic rendition of the Sunnyside Hotel by Doug Leblang
Photo of the Sunnyside Hotel from the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce
In 1875, the White Line (the Newtown and Flushing Railroad) of the LIRR opened its ‘Sunnyside Station’ across the street from the Hotel. Unsuccessful, the White Line was abandoned in 1876 and replaced with horsecar service in 1877. Transportation took a step backwards, and development of the surrounding lands was hampered for a while.
White Line Schedule on this Bob Andersen LIRR History page
A scattered community of houses, farms and inns sprung up between Northern Boulevard and Queens Boulevard during the late 1800’s. In the early 1900’s, Sunnyside was nicknamed ‘Nuisance Land’ by people who traveled through the area on their way to and from the better-established town of Woodside to the east. The small hotels and businesses along Skillman Avenue (thought to be pictured in the background of photo at left) catered to hunters who came to hunt in Sunnyside’s woods. Small ponds dotted the landscape, making the land a prime location for duck farms.