Our Story
It was the 1980’s, and 397-401 Quincy Street was the site of a demolished house and became a dumping ground for old cars. Outraged by the neglect, local residents protested by laying on the sidewalk in a visible sign of solidarity. As a result, the city intervened, fining the owner thousands of dollars and ordering him to clean up the lot. When he refused to pay, the land became public, forming the beginning of a communal garden site. However, as the years progressed, the garden was neglected and reverted back to its abandoned condition.
Fast forward to the early 2000’s: a recently retired social worker and local resident, Herbert A. Tibbs (pictured here in front of the rain water tank), decided to take on the project of reviving the garden. Tibbs went to GreenThumb, NYC’s community garden program, to figure out what had to be done. Along with assistance from local residents—Dorothy Sherman, Mary Von King, and the Hattie Carthan Magnolia Tree Earth Center—Tibbs got 38 neighbors to sign a petition stating that they wanted to reactivate the garden. On May 1, 2001, the First Quincy Street Garden was officially reopened.
Garden Timeline | Notable Dates
May 1, 2001 – Garden founded by Herbert Tibbs, Dorothy Sherman & Mary Von King.
May 31, 2001 – Green Thumb Garden re-designation
June 9, 2003 – Certificate of Incorporation filed – First Quincy Street Green Thumb Resource Center, Inc. dba First Quincy Street Green Thumb Garden
June 13, 2003 – First Quincy Street Green Thumb Garden 2nd Annual Community Health Fair
July 19, 2003 - Brooklyn Borough President Proclaims July 19, 2003 First Quincy Street Green Thumb Garden Day
September 11, 2003 - Members of the FDNY’s Vulcan Society were present in the garden for the unveiling of a memorial dedicated to 12 black firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11.
August 2011 - Hurricane Irene caused damage to 403 Quincy Street, resulting in its chimney falling into the garden. The Department of Buildings & Parks deemed the garden unsafe to enter and shut the garden for the next two years. Without access to the garden, it fell into disrepair.
Spring/Summer 2013 - Quincy Block residents, Andrea Taylor and Cee Calloway specifically, led the elections and to elect new officers for the garden and the block association, which enabled progress to be made for repairing the damage done to the garden from 403 Quincy St.
Spring 2014 - Garden refurbishment finally takes place complete with a redesign and installation of new gardening plots.
397-401 Quincy St, Brooklyn, NY 11221
© 2021 First Quincy Street Community Garden
Website created and designed by Kristina Samulewski and Alexandria Shope.
