Sunnyside Park Proposal Is Heading to the LPC
The proposal to construct a residential development around a historic aluminum house at 39th Avenue and 50th Street, in the Sunnyside Gardens Historic District, is heading to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The LPC schedule for September 24th features this item: “39th Avenue and 50th Street-Sunnyside Gardens Historic District… A playground with a one story building…
The proposal to construct a residential development around a historic aluminum house at 39th Avenue and 50th Street, in the Sunnyside Gardens Historic District, is heading to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The LPC schedule for September 24th features this item: “39th Avenue and 50th Street-Sunnyside Gardens Historic District… A playground with a one story building and pavilion. Application is to relocate an existing building to the site and construct new buildings.” The plan calls to relocate the 1931 Aluminaire House, the first all-metal prefabricated house, to the site. (The New York Institute of Technology Central Islip campus was the previous home to the Aluminaire House — the building needed to move after that campus shut down.) The developers want to turn the Aluminaire Home into a museum and use the proceeds from a surrounding eight-unit residential build to provide income for it. The new residential development, rendered above, uses terra cotta cladding with a brick pattern. Sunnyside Gardens residents think the museum business is just a smokescreen for the residential development. Residents want a community garden at the site instead. The final word on the matter is up to the LPC — we’re curious to see how they’ll vote when it comes to an existing historic building, not necessarily contextual, moving to an underutilized lot. What do you think?
Architect Wants Aluminaire House to Be a Museum in Sunnyside Gardens [Q’Stoner]
Residents Oppose Sunnyside Gardens Move [Q’Stoner]
Rendering via Queens Crap
I’ve lived in LIC for 17 years, so I’ll argue for IMBYism — this historic building and development doesn’t fit Sunnyside but would work well in nearby LIC. It fits the aesthetic (the neighborhood follows the aesthetic path blazed by the Aluminaire and is characterized by its ring of museums and art institutions. It’s also more accessible to the demographic that would be drawn to the Aluminaire. Also, the building won’t have the space and light it needs for proper viewing in shady, green Sunnyside as compared to waterfront districts. So why plunk down this unique building in a place that won’t showcase it well and among people who won’t welcome it when other options from LIC to Red Hook are near? The site would be more of an asset as a community garden.
The Aluminaire house is an interesting and exciting idea that the LPC should approve. Often, to get LPC approval developer have to dumb down their projects to clear all hurdles. THis will be an exciting addition to the neighborhood and bring some excitement to that side of the block, which is nothing exciting. THe community garden idea is a smokescreen for residents who only care about themselves and dont want any development or improvement at all…..
The Aluminaire house is totally out of context in Sunnyside Gardens. What makes the Gardens a special place is that everything is of a whole. The trees, gardens, small red brick homes, all work to maintain a pleasant human scale that the “look at me” three story aluminum house and its two orange neighbors will disrupt.
The land that the developer wants to move this house to, along with the other buildings he wants to erect will cover a community playground that has been there since 1924, when the Gardens were built.
“Residents only care about themselves”? They care for their neighborhood, their children, their quality of life. The developer cares only about turning a quick buck.
No one takes care of that “community” playground and I’ve never seen anyone play in it. It’s wasted land.
The untruth of those remarks notwithstanding, you feel that building out-of-context large buildings on the site “solves” some “waste” problem or other?
There is far more wasted, and available, space nearby. Just stroll down Barnett Ave.