Sacred Places
Marvin Gaye Greening Center, in partnership with Washington Parks & People
A lush outdoor room in the corner of a one-acre farm.
WHERE
Washington, DC
SETTING
Neighborhood
PARTNER INSTITUTION
Washington Parks & People
Visit
Where it is
700 51st St NE, Washington, DC 20019
What happens here
The Greening Center is a base for educational and stewardship programming, across the street from Marvin Gaye Park. Farm beds and hoop houses, an orchard, a stage, and an outdoor kitchen support that work across the one-acre site.
HOW IT CAME TO BE
The corner that wasn't being used.
01
The Need
The Greening Center was already a base for educational and stewardship programming, but the southeast corner of the site was not fully activated.
02
The Vision
Nature Sacred partnered with Washington Parks & People to elevate the Greening Center into a full-fledged Sacred Place. Parks & People began 25 years ago in Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park, founded by a range of community and parks leaders and organizations, and now leads greening initiatives across the city — land reclamation, native reforestation, watershed restoration, public health and fitness programming, urban agriculture, and green job training — working for justice alongside local communities.
03
The Transformation
The southeast corner became a lush and spacious outdoor room. Fruit trees and shrubs line the perimeter. Grapes and raspberries twine up the inside of the fence, while vibrantly colored portraits by Life Pieces to Masterpieces line the outside to catch the eye of passersby on the street. A serviceberry allee runs to the seating at its end, overlooking the rest of the site.
WHO TENDS IT
Steve Coleman
Firesoul, Marvin Gaye Greening Center, in partnership with Washington Parks & People
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Timothy Branch
Firesoul, Marvin Gaye Greening Center, in partnership with Washington Parks & People
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Timnit Belay
Firesoul, Marvin Gaye Greening Center, in partnership with Washington Parks & People
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HEAR FROM THE VISITORS
From the Little Yellow Journal
