Founded in 1983, The Pacific Street Brooklyn Bear’s Community Garden was named after a teddy bear gardeners found in the weeds at an early workday. At a time when the City had all but abandoned this corner of Brooklyn, neighbors took matters into their own hands with a beautification project that has endured for over 25 years.
By 1988, recognizing the possibility of a development project on the site, the Bears began organizing to make the garden a permanent part of Flatbush Avenue. By 1990, an agreement was in place to include the garden in any planned development. In order that the group not disband during construction, the City offered a property on Carlton Avenue between Gates and Greene. A recession ended that original development plan, but the group continued working at the new Carlton Avenue Brooklyn Bear’s Community Garden!
When another group gardening on Flatbush and Lafayette since 1980 moved away, the City contacted the Bears to see if they’d care for that site too. Not wanting to see a green space go to waste, the group agreed and in 1991, the Rockwell Place Brooklyn Bear’s Community Garden was (re)born. That made them the Three Bear’s Gardens!
In 1997 a new development project began, and the original garden was plowed to make way for the Mall buildings you see next door. After incredible community support, the Bear’s fought back and recreated the garden on a portion of the original site. Since 1999, the group has been tending the garden you see before you.
With strong support from the community, the Borough President’s office, and City and State officials, all three Bear’s Gardens are now a permanent part of their communities — Carlton and Rockwell under the NYC Parks Department and Pacific Street as part of the Brooklyn Queens Land Trust, the largest urban land trust in the nation.
The gardens are tended by volunteers, and everyone is welcome to join. You can tend a vegetable bed, a flower area, the water garden, help turn the compost, just sit and enjoy the beauty, or join in at one of our many workdays or BBQs. Membership is FREE and since each member gets their own key, with more members the gate can be open more often.
