After ten years, it was time for a new website for the Friends of Sunnyside Conservatory. Our original post-renovation website, launched in 2011, rightly focused on the successful—and at times, daunting—ten year campaign to restore the Conservatory building and gardens into a welcoming gathering space. In the ensuing decade after the Conservatory reopened, we discovered the gorgeous acoustics in the restored space and launched our Live at the Conservatory concert series. We also broadened public holiday gatherings beyond our annual Bring Your Own Pumpkin Carving to include holiday card making parties and a wreath making event. The Conservatory became a sought after venue for intimate weddings and other private events and parties (from a Mother’s Day Tea; 40th, 50th, 60th, and 70th+ birthday parties; Bar Mitzvah celebrations; memorial services).

My goal for the new website: focus on gathering. The information about the history and restoration campaign (with the requisite before and after photos) would still be accessible, but the main thread would be the way the Conservatory allowed the community to gather together. It’s all been a bit wistful to redo the website during a time when we couldn’t gather together, but it made me appreciate the kind of space and connections we had created by virtue of the restoration. It will be with great joy when the sounds of musicians and neighbors can fill the Conservatory once again. Until then, be well and stay safe.