About Us
Sunnyside Gardens Park is a 3-acre park situated in historic Sunnyside Gardens. Created in 1926 as an integral part of this planned community, the park continues to serve as a hub where people of all ages as well as diverse ethnic, economic and religious backgrounds meet, play, socialize, and generate what is most important in any neighborhood: a sense of community.
Sunnyside Park is one of only two membership parks in New York City. However, unlike the exclusive Gramercy Park, Sunnyside Park offers membership to anyone interested in being a part of its community. Included in the membership is an agreement that members will donate 12 hours of their time and talents to the Park annually. This important aspect of membership ensures that all members become involved in keeping the park clean, writing and circulating the newsletter, planning and carrying out events, developing programs for children and adults, and again, generating a sense of ownership which results in a strong community. This contract between member and organization has meant that Sunnyside Park remains an active, vital part of our neighborhood.
The Park offers its members access to the grounds and facilities, which include a grass playing field, basketball courts, swing and sand play areas for small children, bocce court, wading pool, and one of the last remaining picnic groves left in New York City. It is open 364 days a year from 10 am to sunset. The Park employs a full-time manager and a live-in groundskeeper who does basic daily maintenance and clean up in exchange for a small one-bedroom apartment housed on-site. Throughout the year, Sunnyside Park hosts events open to members and local non-member residents, such as the Sunnyside Film Festival, an annual craft fair, a Memorial Day festival, an annual fall parade & celebration, and a winter holiday boutique offering locally made crafts and other items suitable for holiday gifts. Other activities are offered at no cost to members only, such as an Out-of School BBQ, a camp-out night for children, free t-ball coaching, a book swap, and other activities that vary year to year as members volunteer their skills.
The Park has always been not-for-profit, but because of its unique status it has received almost no government funding since its inception. Because the Park management has always strived to make Sunnyside Park available to the widest possible range of families, the membership fees have never covered the full cost of long-term upkeep of the park. With the help of member volunteers along with the fees, we have sustained Sunnyside Park with annual renovation projects focusing on high priority areas, and we have kept the Park clean and safe, but some longer term infrastructure needs have been neglected due to lack of funds.
Sunnyside Gardens was recently designated a Historic District by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. This designation was awarded as much for the way the community’s layout and shared common spaces have created a dynamic, rich feeling of unity among its diverse residents. Sunnyside Park is at the heart of this community and is the gathering place for families with young children, older adults who want a place to walk and sit in the shade, or teenagers who seek a pick-up game of ball, in short, everyone who seeks a place to feel at home in their neighborhood. With your support, this important place will continue to offer this unique resource to the residents of Sunnyside Gardens and all of Western Queens.