SUNNYSIDE GARDENS — The historic district on the north side of Sunnyside, known for its brick homes and garden courtyards, is set to turn 90 this month and will be feted with a lecture and photo exhibit that opens Thursday night.
The Greater Astoria Historical Society will present "Sunnyside Gardens at 90," featuring historic images of the district, which director Bob Singleton called "one of the most successful examples" of a planned urban community.
Sunnyside Gardens — landmarked as a historic district in 2007 — was designed in the 1920s by Clarence Stein and Henry Wright and is an early example of model housing that sought to improve on the poor city housing conditions at the time, according to Singleton.
"That's when they came up with these garden communities," he said.
The district consists of 16 blocks and more than 600 buildings, according to a 2007 report from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which described Sunnyside Gardens as "one of the most significant planned residential communities," that inspired future developments.
According to Singleton, the district became popular in its early years with young couples from Manhattan looking for more space to raise their children.
"Sunnyside Gardens became known as 'the nursery of Greenwich Village,'" he said.
A number of notable figures have called Sunnyside Gardens home over the years, including the historian Lewis Mumford and singer Perry Como.
"It attracted a very glittering clientele," he said.
Thursday's lecture at the Greater Astoria Historical Society will feature Sunnyside Gardens residents Jeffrey A. Kroessler, a preservationist, and architect Laura Heim. The discussion will be moderated by Deborah Van Cura, a professor of urban sociology at LaGuardia Community College.
The talk will cover things like urban housing and the "garden cities" movement and the history of Sunnyside Gardens, including the efforts to get it landmarked.
Thirty images will be on display, including what Singleton says are rare shots of what the area around the district looked like when it was still farmland, as well as "then and now" pictures of the gardens that compare past and present views of the same spot.
Thursday's lecture is free to Sunnyside Gardens residents and Greater Astoria Historical Society members, and $5 to the public. The photos will be on view through December in the space, which is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 2 to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m.
Later this month, the Sunnyside Gardens Preservation Alliance will host an event on Oct. 25 to celebrate 90 years since the opening of the district's first houses, which will feature the unveiling of three new district map signs and a "birthday reception," according to the group's website.
The Greater Astoria Historical Society is located on the fourth floor of the Quinn Building at 35-20 Broadway in Astoria. The lecture "Sunnyside Gardens at 90" will take place Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.
