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June 7, 2007
Brooklyn Neighborhood Resists Eminent Domain
The NY Sun
Julia Vitullo-Martin took last Sunday's garden tour and came away with some historical perspective on the gardens that are under threat of eminent domain from Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project, along with the story of one family's quest to preserve its heritage:
Mr. Campbell's house and his neighbor's at 491 Dean were chosen for the walk in part because their backyard gardens grow at the edge of the neighborhood's first known garden, Parmentier's Horticultural and Botanic Gardens, established in 1825 on 25 acres by a Belgian nurseryman, André Parmentier. The remaining "petits Parmentiers" are imperiled, the tour organizer, Patti Hagan, said, because they occupy the western edge of Bruce Ratner's proposed Atlantic Yards development, which the association's brochure calls a "24-acre House & Garden Grab." Arguing that the area's heritage is important, Ms. Hagan said it was known as Rose Hill a century ago, when it was Irish. Indeed, roses still bloom in nearly every garden on the tour. Of the 16 listed gardens, only two are in the Atlantic Yards footprint, though nearly everyone — owners and visitors alike — expressed dismay at the looming threat of eminent domain.
An intellectual property rights lawyer who splits his time between London's Battersea and New York's Brooklyn, Mr. Campbell has no intention of selling his property, whether voluntarily or by force. "We're defending our homes flower by flower," he said, smiling. "My grandfather was the dean of Dean Street. He lovingly restored every inch of the house, and he planted the garden." The lichen-barked apple tree may be an heirloom from one of Parmentier's 242 varieties, the brochure notes. As Mr. Campbell stood beneath his grandfather's magnolia tree, his Uncle Lloyd appeared. A photographer, who was Malcolm X's official photographer, among many other assignments, he says the lush garden reflects his family's roots in Barbados.
NoLandGrab: Uh... actually it's more like a 22-acre House and Garden Grab, but who's counting.
Posted by lumi at June 7, 2007 7:30 AM