Project team

Head: Bring Back the 70’s Street Club

Partners: Another Chance Nonprofit, Aetna-Union Model Block Club, Slavic Village Development. 

Project description and goals

The project proposes a pocket park that will serve as a community gathering place, with the intent to promote neighborhood cohesion through the development of a common ground.  The park will include the construction of two stone walls to serve as a “living wall”. The wall’s purpose will serve as a commemorative place for those community members having passed, with decorative tiles being used in the formation of the public art memorial.

Existing conditions

The City Land Bank lot (parcel # 125-36-016) measures 4,182 sq. ft., and its central location—at the intersection of E. 75th and Ivy—gives the lot high visibility. The lot is between two residential properties, with an alley defining its rear edge. There is a large pine tree located near the lot, which provides for shade during parts of the day.

Proposed interventions

The intervention involves planting flowers and native grasses, as well as providing a gravel path that will connect the alley to the sidewalk. A paved patio place will be constructed in the park, with additional infrastructure defining the space coming in the form of two stone seat walls that will make-up the commemorative “living wall”. This “living wall” will be developed gradually, with neighbors creating commemorative tiles that will be attached to the wall’s surface.

Site maintenance

Long-term maintenance will include weeding, debris removal, and mowing.  The Street Club will be in charge of the lot’s manicuring, with schedules derived periodically, depending on the season.  A watering source has been provided by a club member that lives next to the lot.