A project of the Brooklyn Centre Community Association, the Brooklyn Centre Community Orchard overlooks the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and covers over ½ of an acre (22,300 sq. ft.).
While other agricultural projects inClevelandare on city-owned parcels, this expanse of land is being leased from Norfolk Southern Railway. Over 15 years ago,NorfolkSouthern purchased this land and razed five homes on the site in an attempt to protect their tracks below. After stabilizing the hillside,Norfolksubsequently abandoned the parcels, leaving the grass to be maintained by the City and the overall condition to fall into a state of disrepair. Area residents have noted excessive garbage dumping, drug use and other criminal activity. In 2009, the community group was able to negotiate a lease with Norfolk Southern Railway.NorfolkSouthern is now exploring how they can transition more of their property to community use. Putting these parcels back into productive use not only beautifies a forgotten corner of the neighborhood yet further brings residents together around growing healthy food.
“This project is intended not only to bring fresh, healthy fruit into our neighborhood, but to reconnect people with the source of their food,” notes orchard organizer Johanna Hamm. “By reclaiming lost lands and traditions, we ultimately envision residents establishing a stronger physical and spiritual bond with their natural environment.”
Brooklyn Centre, like similar inner-ring urban neighborhoods, is labeled as a “food desert”, a geographical area with poor access to healthy, affordable food. However, in an effort to fight this phenomenon, the Orchard seeks to become an inexpensive and replicable model to augment food systems on a local level.
The Brooklyn Centre Community Orchard will be run by volunteers on an honor system, with species to include apple, cherry and peach trees along with blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and currants among others.
Project Organizers Darren and Johanna Hamm are native Clevelanders and long time residents of the Brooklyn Centre neighborhood. For years they have worked in their community as part of the Brooklyn Centre Community Association, a neighborhood non-profit, on projects that strive to improve the quality of life for fellow residents, including street clean-ups, landscaping, painting, creating a farmer’s market, and coordinating a street fair among others.
GCBL Project Profile – Brooklyn Centre Community Orchard
External Website – Brooklyn Centre Community Website
Oral History – Darren & Johanna Hamm Interview, 26 May 2010: audio and description
Image Archive – Project 51
To Volunteer – email: dandjhamm@sbcglobal.net
Press Coverage
Location – map
