Ceremony for Sign (Photo: QueensPost)
July 27, 2018 By Christian Murray
A ceremony was held at the Sunnyside Arch yesterday to celebrate the long-overdue repairs to the iconic structure located at the intersection of 46th Street and Queens Boulevard.
The old metal ‘Sunnyside’ signs were replaced and outfitted with energy efficient and durable LED lights. The project cost about $17,000, with $15,000 coming through taxpayer funds via Council Member Jimmy Bramer’s office.
“This is a small but significant victory for our community,” Van Bramer said at the ceremony. “It’s the little things that add to our quality of life and in this case a sign that brings great pride. When people come off the 7 train—or pass by on the train—they will see the beautiful lights.”
Lights July 26 (PhotoL QueensPost)
Jaime-Faye Bean, the executive director of Sunnyside Shines, said the old ‘Sunnyside’ signs had corroded and were in need of being replaced. Those signs were taken down and then used as templates to cut out replacements with a laser.
The new signs were then outfitted with energy efficient and durable LED lights, thereby replacing the old lights that were installed in 2011 that were often on the fritz.
The BID is able to light up the arch for any celebration. Last night, it was lit up as a rainbow as a belated nod to Pride Month in June.
The arch has been a symbol of Sunnyside since it was erected in 1983. The last time it was renovated was in 2009 as part of a $500,000 project that also added new benches, bike racks and trees around it.
Sign Being Replaced (via Sunnyside Shines on Instagram in May)
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32 Comments
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So sick of the crap that has gone on for the last 5-10 years in the Sunnyside and Woodside are. All those empty store fronts on Queens Blvd and Greenpoint Ave. are hideous eyesores. Wonder if JVB even cares about that. Bike lanes are lighted arch is so much more important. Time to move on from the one time beautiful Sunnyside and Woodside are. Truly a damn shame. Wonder what JVB’s next photo op will be.
Used to be the council person would hand pick the stores and have a beauty pagent for them and pick the prettiest stores. Not anymore!
Miss the good old days when there was more horse and buggy parking and you could ride your pennywheeler up to the most beautiful stores you ever seen and buy a merry christmas card.
Lights???Do they deserve a medal???For Gods Sake,you installed LED lights so what..What the Hell happened to this Neighborhood..Can’t anyone do their frigging job without patting themselves on the back..Who let the Arch corrode in the first place???Not the life long Sunnysiders or the Hipsters..The Pilutical Idiots did..Nice Jimmy Boy wants is to Kiss his Ass and jump for Joy..DO YOUR JOBS WE ELECTED YOU TO DO AND STOP GRAND STANDING..DEMOCRATS IDIOTS..WOW..YOU WANT A BONE FIR LIGHTS…MY EYE
Actually the life long Sunnysiders let the sign corrode. Why didn’t you do anything about it George Kelly? Too busy blaming others?
They need to take a giant hose and hose down the entire area around Roosevelt Avenue & 61st Street. Absolutely filthy. Dirty, grimy and dark. The city should spend some money and do something about the area.
Awesome timing by Team JVB to arrange the relighting of Sunnyside’s big middle finger days after JVB give the middle finger to Sunnyside residents and businesses with his back flip on Skillman and 43 Avenues bike lanes. Well played Councilmember!
Don’t you live in Forest Hills
The Sunnyside Arch was built in 1983, south of Queens Boulevard at 46th Street. Covered with many tiny lights and created in the Art Deco[1] style, the Arch’s purpose was to “revitalize a sagging commercial strip.”[2] However, due to the difficulty of replacing its lights, the Arch was neglected once its lights burned out. Also, it has not been seen to benefit the surrounding area as the commercial strip in question contains mainly discount stores and “Chinese takeout restaurants”[3] and residents have observed “drunks and loiterers”[4] around the Arch.
Residents themselves are divided over the Arch. Mary Scarlos, a Sunnyside resident since 1942, states that she had “hated it from the day they put it up”[5] while Irving Rovin, part owner of Rovin Optics, states that “It’s a landmark. People say to meet under the arch. It’s pretty. It’s nice. It’s aesthetic.”[6] In 2005, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and City Councilman Eric Gioia announced that they had set aside $450,000 in city funding for renovating the Arch and surrounding streets.[7] On April 21, 2009, Marshall and Gioia celebrated the restoration of the Sunnyside Arch. New trees, benches, lights, and bicycle racks were added, while the Arch was cleaned, painted, and modernized.[8]
Its good to know the whole story.
This isn’t really the “whole story,” just an old article with a few opinions. This area around the sign is much nicer than it used to be and I think the sign looks nice. I wish they’d repair the loose sidewalk bricks.
no one cares shut up
Yippee. This has made my day. Three cheers for the arch!
Now Sunnyside can use the lights to communicate with the UFOs
It’s tacky and inconsequential but it’s ours!
Nice. Can we make that block a pedestrian mall now?
Yes, and keep bikes out! They are dangerous to pedestrians.
no we can’t make it a pedestrian mall now because the supermarket has to make deliveries and so does the fruit stores and other places – I do pray Mr. JVB does not try to do this because I am sure there will be a rally on this too and rightly so.
There are pedestrian malls around the world that have stores and markets; delivery trucks are permitted to enter the area to make deliveries. It’s normal traffic that’s not allowed. Making this a pedestrian mall is an excellent idea and it should have happened long ago. This area belongs to the people and we should be able to do this without being told “NO” by the city.
and I am sure that you have lived in Sunnyside your whole life that will be your next answer and this is Queens not another WORLD
JVB can create a “Deliveries Only Lane” for the supermarkets. He loves is designated lanes.
That’s a weird random comment, but sure. I have no problem walking my bike through a pedestrian plaza. ?♂️
And cars aren’t dangerous? Last year over 35,000 people died in car accidents.
Pedestrianize this street &
name it Sunnyside Plaza
i dont think i’d call this “long overdue” if it was renovated 9 years ago for 500,000.
Makes me wonder what crappy work they did back then.
I know its tempting with LEDs to put on a vegas light show, please keep it classy
I heard there will be a bike lane under the arch
I heard bikes only. No cars or pedestrians.
a waste of money and when it was first built alot of money went into the politicans pockets
sure, but what about _a lot_ of money?
Pointing out spelling errors is a poor point to make.
You can’t spell a word incorrectly if it never existed, like “alot”
Tolerating huge levels of illiteracy in society is not a good idea considering how much we spend on educating our citizens. Basic spelling and simple grammar aren’t that difficult and many of us expect a little effort from others who choose to participate in a written forum. If spelling at a 4th-grade level is too difficult for someone, maybe they’re not ready to converse with other adults.