Originally a residential block, then vacant for decades and used for fly-dumping, for the past 13 years the open land along 65th Place and Blackstone Avenue has been developed as an informal but actively maintained community garden/park.
Neighbors from the surrounding blocks steered the development of the lot, and make use of it in various ways: family celebrations, neighborhood gatherings, Juneteenth parties, a play area for small children, a safe gathering spot for older children, a place for people working nearby to have lunch, an outdoor office for people working remotely, etc.
The hope is that the site can continue to serve the neighborhood as it already has for more than a decade.
Residents plant vegetables, berries, and flowers every summer
Transformation: 2011-2022
Transformation: 2011-2022
Shade and places to sit and relax
A well-maintained space for playing
Residents plant vegetables, berries, and flowers every summer
Residents plant vegetables, berries, and flowers every summer
Fresh apples and a place to play
“It’s a fresh environment! It’s just an all around good place. We don’t have any other places like this around here. This is a chill place that anybody can go.”