Plans to build a middle school in Sunnyside Gardens is getting a lot of push back from residents looking to preserve the site and the character of their neighborhood. Borough Reporter Ruschell Boone tells why.

This brick building at 48th Street and Barnett Avenue has housed everything from a gym to a nightclub and most recently a billiards hall, but what Jeffrey Kroessler says he doesn't want to see here is a 600-seat school proposed by the city. He says it would destroy the building.

"The school construction authority is not going to save this building," said Kroessler. "Anyone who thinks that is in a fantasy world."

Kroessler is one of several residents opposing the plan.

The building built was built as a garage for Sunnyside Gardens, a 1920s development modeled after communities created for working people in Britain in the late 19th century.

The building, however, is now dilapidated.

"You can't look at it and say they want to save this," Kroessler said. "It makes preservationists seem like idiots but really we are saying think of what it could be. "

The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. But its historical significance is not the only reason why some oppose the school.

Some say it would bring too much noise and traffic to a neighborhood known for its tranquility.

But parents like this father of five say a new school is desperately needed in District 30 in Sunnyside and Woodside, one of the most overcrowded school districts in the city.

"It's important to people with families," the father said. "I see the people who don't have kids they were the first ones out to say that there will be traffic."

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer is pushing for the $100-million project.

"The only middle school we have anywhere near here is I.S. 125 on the other side of Queens Boulevard and it is a great school but it is at 140% capacity," the Councilman said.

Van Bramer says the School Construction Authority is moving forward despite the criticism.

They understand that there are lots of people including myself who care about architecture and scale and design and history and they promised to incorporate all of that into this new building.

The SCA is accepting public comments until November 4. A final decision will be up to the City Council.