Projects
Here's just a small sampling of the historic treasures we've helped to preserve - and enhance - over the years.
Spring Greening 2023, Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans
For Historic Green’s 14th year in New Orleans’ Holy Cross Neighborhood & the Lower Ninth Ward, our fearless team of volunteers focused on four catalyst projects: fixing up the Guerrilla Garden for a new season as a vital community space; structural repairs and maintenance of the Delery Street Playground; window restoration for a 19th Century shotgun house; & the design & construction of a new pollinator garden outside the Guerrilla Garden. We added a couple of bonus projects for a local homeowner & church. In all, 16 Engineers Without Borders (EWB) students from the University of Kansas & Wichita State University (first time!) made a big difference in our home away from home. Thanks also to our skilled project leaders! We also returned to our annual tradition of neighborhood tours, lots of guest speakers & the famous Wednesday Night Crawfish Boil. Another amazing year!
MO Hives KC, Blue Hills Neighborhood, Kansas City, 2022
Formed by Dr. Marion Pierson, MO Hives KC is part of a statewide initiative dedicated to transforming vacant lots in the inner city into thriving bee farms (apiaries) as an integral part of thriving communities. MOV Hives KC is located on six lots along Wabash Avenue in the historic Blue Hills Neighborhood of Kansas City. In addition to emphasizing the importance of the pollinating insects for improving food production yields, MO Hives is working to find safe, sustainable environments for bees to live, feed & grow. The site also features raised beds for gardening, a “micro forest” demonstration plot, a stage for educational events & of course several active beehives
Thanks to an introduction by the Missouri Department of Conservation, Historic Green learned of MO Hives’ plans to create a pollinator garden for the bees & other insects. Central to this garden will be a boardwalk & suspension bridge that encourages visitors to experience the native plants & interaction w/ bees through the seasons. Historic Green commissioned a concept & construction plans for the boardwalk/bridge w/ GMLV Architecture’s KC office. In turn, volunteers from the University of Kansas broke ground on building the structures in September, w/ plans to complete the work in Spring 2023.
Spring Greening 2020, Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans
Our most recent Spring Greening - and our 13th year, as we committed to the neighborhood that we would continue through the year 2020 - our dedicated crew of volunteers & professionals worked on a wide range of projects for Sankofa, Greater Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church, the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association, the Guerrilla Garden & others. We completed historic window restorations, work on several community gardens, playground maintenance, the design & construction of a new rain garden for one resident, & much more.
Spring Greening 2014, Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans
Central to our 7th Spring Greening in New Orleans was ongoing exterior & interior improvements to the headquarters of the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement & Development (CSED), a community non-profit launched after Hurricane Katrina to aid the neighborhood’s continued rebuilding efforts. The CSED House, abandoned before the storm, was acquired by CSED & rehabbed as an historic demonstration house to showcase a number of energy-savings features & sustainable materials use. Previously, Historic Green led efforts to install a new roof on the building.
In 2014, our teams added more insulation under the cladding, repaired the front porch, designed & built a back deck, continued several interior enhancements, & planted a wide range of fruit trees for an orchard in the back yard.
Benton Community Garden, Santa Fe Neighborhood, Kansas City, 2012
To support Kansas City’s Santa Fe Neighborhood, Historic Green led development of a new community garden at the intersection of Linwood & Benton Boulevards through a design/build initiative that would create a vibrant space for vegetable growing, fruit orchards & gathering spaces for residents near downtown. Benton Community Garden is the result of a landscape design/build competition & subsequent construction effort by BRR Architecture, USGBC-Central Plains Chapter, the City of KCMO & Historic Green to create this special place within two vacant lots in the urban core for community gathering, food security & more.
Spring Greening 2012, Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans
Our 5th “Spring Greening,” held in March 2012 was host to more than 100 volunteers from across the U.S., including students from University of Kansas, Kansas State University & elsewhere. Led by a team of architects, engineers, historic preservationists and construction professionals, we worked on to rehab & weatherize more historic homes in New Orleans’ Holy Cross Neighborhood, designed & built numerous rain gardens, & restored the Ernst Garden House from top to bottom, including the design & construction of a new stormwater system to collect rainwater for the community garden.
Spring Greening 2008, Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans
Historic Green’s first-ever event, “Spring Greening,” was held in March 2008 & host to more than 200 volunteers from across the U.S., including students from North Carolina, University of Texas-San Antonio, Arizona & elsewhere. We worked to rehab & weatherize historic homes in New Orleans’ Holy Cross Neighborhood, designed & built numerous rain gardens, deconstructed an old storefront (later rebuilt as a community center) & even reinstalled the bell for an historic church.