Putting the Bush Back in Bushwick
Something I didn’t know: the neighborhood beautification organization Trees Not Trash is responsible for getting planted all of the street trees except one (probably that huge one at the corner of Bogart and Seigel) in the part of the East Williamsburg industrial area considered to be inside the Bushwick orbit. Gothamist got TNT founder Kate Gilliam to talk about how she started, her admiration for Bette Midler’s community garden activism, and ways to clean up your neighborhood.
TNT is having a benefit show this Saturday: so check it out!
July 26th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
I lived for 6 years near the Morgan stop and nearly single handedly this gal really changed the face of the neighborhood. My new digs could really use some of her talent. For those of you out there looking to get your hands dirty on an urban beautification project, there is a garden clean-up with the help of the Green Guerillas today (sorry about the late notice) at the John the Baptist Community Garden on the corner of Stuyvesant and Vernon Aves, right off the Myrtle JMZ stop. We’re trying to get our garden cleaned up and organized and are recruiting new members. We’ll be having more clean-ups and other events throughout the rest of the summer. I’ll be sure to post here well in advance.
Stop on by!
July 26th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Awesome work Kate. I really have been pleased with all the new trees and it is great to give props to the person(s) responsible. You guys are awesome for making this happen.
July 26th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
how can i get in touch with Kate Gilliam???
July 26th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Hey all, you can check out some pics of the trees not trash team at work on the Bushwicked blog here:
http://bushwicked.com/?p=6
July 26th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
I wish there were more tree lined streets like on Weirfield, how on earth did that block get so many trees.
July 26th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
Tom, I know Weirfield well, looked at quite a few places there last year, and the trees make an otherwise banal block of cruddy woodframe houses with crappy shingles look downright pastoral. Trees are awesome.
July 26th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Neighbors are concerned about the sidewalks getting messed up and they have to pay for them.
Do you really think Bushwick has the finest collection of wood frame house or are they considered more crummy woodframe houses?
Are there trees that don’t grow such ugly roots that ruin the sidewalks?
July 27th, 2007 at 9:04 am
Wickster…are you saying that the residents of Bushwick don’t want trees planted because it messes up the sidewalk?
July 27th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Most of the trees the City is planting these days do not get really large and do not have the type of roots that destroy the sidewalks. This is good for the sidewalks but you will not get the lovely canopy of trees that you see on some streets.
July 27th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
I’d rather have to fix a sidewalk than live on a sun-blasted lifeless patch of asphalt.
September 18th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Hey there, fellow tree-huggers!
Glad to see folks pitching in to make this urban jungle greener and prettier! I just helped initiate the revitalization of a garden this past year (Woodbine St Block Association Garden - http://www.woodbinegarden.org) and I’m ready to help tackle another!
The new project is a monster and will need a lot of volunteers: at the corner of Linden & Broadway is a garden that is being cleaned up by Mr Cyril Joseph and company. BEHIND this garden, in the middle of the block, is a football field-sized SECRET GARDEN, waiting to be rediscovered. It’s very exciting - I’m looking to enlist the help of NYRP or Green Apple Corps for this one. I’ll keep y’all posted!
September 19th, 2007 at 6:24 am
Sean-Michael, congratulations on the wonderful work you and the local residents did on Woodbine St. this year This was one of the hero blocks in Bushwick during the 70’s and 80’s when, though literally surrounded by blight, it organized itself around a strong block association, remained stable, and even prospered. The block association also sponsored some of Bushwick’s best block parties, late August events that could not be missed! Without the efforts of such groups, Bushwick would have totally collapsed during this critical period - and would be a far different and less attractive community today.
The Linden Street project is also terrific and will build upon the previous efforts of the local block association. Under the dogged leadership of Mrs. Hansley, the block took possession of the blighted vacant lot at the Broadway corner in the late 1970’s and developed it into an attractive garden and play area. The association also took over the huge interior lot mentioned above and - for many years - maintained a highly successful flower and vegetable garden there. The revival of this garden will be a wonderful development. Please keep us posted.
By the way, you should know that this huge lot is the remnant of a horse riding academy that once existed here. The entrance was situated mid-block on Bushwick Ave.
September 19th, 2007 at 9:55 am
Good work, Sean!
John, does that mean that lot had never been built on?
September 19th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Gotta love the google maps satellite view. That space is awesome! Hard to tell though, do any of the residents on Linden and Grove have direct access to that massive green space from their backyards?
September 19th, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Jeremy, as far as I know, the Linden Street lot has never been developed - except perhaps as a stable during the riding academy days. It came to the community board’s attention in 1977-78 as a regular Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) application requesting if the board objected to the sale of this city owned property. The board definately did - and recommended that the lot be assigned to the Linden St. Block Assn. for community oriented development under the Green Thumb program. This recommendation was honored and - unless something occurred during the interim - remains in effect.
September 21st, 2007 at 7:43 pm
Hey John -
Thanks for your encouraging words. There is a cookout in the garden (146 Woodbine St) tomorrow from 2 - 6pm, FYI. Stop by, as I need to know more about that riding academy, as I haven’t found any records of it.
What I do know (after getting tax maps and using ACRIS) is that in 1998, the entire lot (which includes the interior and corner spaces) was sold to Mr. Bigs (Krown Hardware). Strangely enough, in the deed, the interior space is protected as “open space,” but the corner is not. Obviously the owners will need to be part of the re-development process.
Currently there is still a fairly large vegetable patch in the interior garden - which has a GreenThumb sign from the Koch administration) - but there’s a total of 19,000 sq ft - so much of it is wild. Anthony (Krown Hardware) tells me they filled three 30-foot containers (tires, mostly) and spent a lot of money - and it’s till full of debris!
Matt: I don’t believe anyone has access. Fencing all around.
Thinking about putting out an open call for volunteers Make A Difference Day, Saturday Oct 27…
September 22nd, 2007 at 12:33 am
Sean, thanks for the invitation, but I will be out of town tomorrow. I would, however, be very interested in discussing the Linden Street issue with you. This has the potential to be a really big community project.
Have a great time tomorrow.
September 28th, 2007 at 12:00 am
John - Please contact me through the woodbinegarden.org website - I’d love to chat soon. Interesting developments are afoot!