Community Board 12 M Parks Committee meeting slide show update on "Six to Celebrate" Inwood, Manhattan

Slide show update on the "Six to Celebrate" historic district process for 

Inwood, Manhattan:

Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 7:00pm

Community Board 12 Manhattan Parks Committee meeting
701 West 168th Street, room 312 A&B, 

(bring photo ID required for entrance)

Chelcey Berryhill, Pratt Historic Preservation Graduate Student

Pat Courtney, Volunteers for Isham Park

Inwood, Manhattan was selected as one of the Historic District Council of NYC's 

inaugural "Six to Celebrate" communities for 2011:

http://www.hdc.org/6tocelebrate_Inwood1.htm

"Six to Celebrate" update for Inwood this week

Slide show update on the progress of the "Six to Celebrate" historic district process for Inwood, Manhattan
Community Board 12 Manhattan Land Use Committee meeting 

701 W 168th room 312 A&B
Wednesday, November 2, 2011 at 7:00pm
Chelcey Berryhill, Pratt Historic Preservation Graduate Student & Pat Courtney, Volunteers for Isham Park

Inwood, Manhattan was selected as one of the Historic District Council's inaugural "Six to Celebrate" communities for 2011

"Six to Celebrate" link: http://hdc.org/6tocelebrate.htm
Project description:

Each year, HDC will solicit submissions from neighborhood groups and individuals that feel their neighborhoods are worthy of preservation. The purpose of this program is to provide strategic help to the chosen neighborhood groups at a critical moment so that they can reach their preservation goals. The program will help local residents learn to use tools such as documentation, research, zoning, landmarking, publicity, and publications to advance a local preservation campaign. The selected groups will receive HDC’s hands-on help strategizing and implementing all aspects of their efforts.

From our long experience helping neighborhoods campaign for preservation attention, HDC will coach neighborhood leaders on:
• how to establish defensible district boundaries that recognize a neighborhood’s special character
• how to involve other community members
• how to formulate an argument for preservation and present their case convincingly
• how to create campaign goals and make plans to meet them
• how to develop education programming and public outreach, and
• how to secure the support of elected officials and other key decision-makers

A word about eligibility: the neighborhoods submitted for consideration must be distinct areas - not individual parks or structures. They must be located in New York City, and be architecturally, historically or culturally significant. Both organized groups and individuals may apply. Deadline for the 2012 round is November 2011.

*To view the application click here (pdf)

If you have any questions about this program, please don’t hesitate to call us at 212 614-9107 or contact Nadezhda Williams, HDC’s Director of Preservation & Research at nwilliams@hdc.org.

Finally, don’t worry - we’re not going away. HDC will continue to assist all our neighborhood partners in the efforts. This is just another way that we can help.

Six to Celebrate is generously supported by The New York Community Trust.

It's My Park Day yesterday in Isham Park

Yesterday, Saturday October 22nd was a great IMPD in Isham Park.  Pictured here are volunteers planting bulbs in the semi-circular bed below the Isham Memorial in the park - an area long neglected and overlooked for plantings.  Children and parents from Friends of Indian Road Playground planted Daffodils and Tulips in that bed. 

Dorothy Rowan, Parks Gardener for Isham Park brought us tools and plants.  She had planned the evergreen shrub planting for the Memorial Bench Garden planted originally last fall on Sunday October 31st 2010 for IMPD (see the post for that event described on Tuesday December 7, 2010).  The bed plantings look great and will hold the garden area throughout the winter months.  Bulbs were also once again planted in that bed as well.  Thank you Dorothy and to the volunteers who planted that area!

Children also took breaks from planting to color a special history of Isham Park in coloring booklet form.  Volunteers for Isham Park produced the booklet to specially highlight the gift of Isham Park in leading up to its centennial next September 2012.

Yesterday was the 4th successive IMPD in Isham Park held by Volunteers for Isham Park. 
We are so grateful that we have had perfect weather for all of our IMPD's!

"It's My Park Day" in Isham Park this Saturday October 22nd

The Partnerships for Parks & The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation have declared Isham Park a site for “It’s My Park Day” Saturday October 22^nd 2011 volunteer activities.

WHO:             - Children and their parents

- The NYC Parks & Recreation Gardener for Isham Park

- Friends of Indian Road Playground

- Volunteers for Isham Park

WHEN:           Saturday October 22nd 2011

                        9:00am to 12:00pm

WHERE:         Meet at the Isham Memorial above Broadway; from the 212^th Street and Broadway entrance to Isham Park, turn right at the big Ginkgo tree and follow the path up the stairs to the landing; turn to the north or the right, the work site is directly ahead

SITE:              Isham Memorial Bench garden

Activities:       Planting evergreens and bulbs, learning about the life spans of plants, and creating art work with images related to the history of Isham Park and its upcoming centennial

For More Information:

Go to:  http://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2011/10/22/its-my-park-day-at-isham-park

Website for Friends of Indian Road Playground: http://www.firp.org/

E-mail Volunteers for Isham Park: volunteersforishampark@gmail.com

Volunteers for Isham Park blog: http://volunteersishampark.blogspot.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

El  departamento de Parks & Recreation de New York City y la Alianza para los Parques, han  declarado  Isham Park uno de los sitios para actividades voluntarias en el “DIA DE MI PARQUE,” el sábado, 22 de octubre de 2011.

¡PARTICIPE!

¿QUIÉN?:      - Niños y sus padres

- El Jardinero de NYC de Isham Park

- Amigos del Indian Road Playground

- Voluntarios para el Isham Park

TIEMPO?:     Sábado, 22 de octubre de 2011,  de 9:00 A.M. a 12:00 P.M.

DONDE?:      Reunir en el monumento de Isham frente al Broadway; de la entrada al Isham Park por la calle 212 con Broadway, a la derecha (al norte), suba la escalera hasta la bifurcación y vire a la derecha (al norte) hasta el Isham Commemorative Garden

ACTIVIDADES: Plantando árboles de hoja perenne y bulbos, aprendiendo sobre el ciclo de vida de las plantas, y creando obras artísticas con imágenes relacionadas con la historia del Isham Park y de su centenario  en el 2012

Amigos del  Indian Road Playground website: http://www.firp.org/

Voluntarios para el  Isham Park Correo: volunteersforishampark@gmail.com

Voluntarios para el  Isham Park blog: http://volunteersishampark.blogspot.com

O visite: http://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2011/10/22/its-my-park-day-at-isham-park

 

Isham Park opened on September 28th 1912, 99 years ago

Wednesday the 28th of September is the anniversary of the original celebration of the gift of Isham Park to New York City in 1912. The park will be 99 years old.

Julia Isham Taylor was the generous donor of the first of what turned into a series of parcels of land by Isham family members in honor of her father, William Bradley Isham, who died in 1909. Mr. Isham had owned and occupied the northern Manhattan land since 1864.

A New York Times article, dated March 24, 1912, describes one fact all but unknown today: that the gift of Isham Park preceded the city's purchase of Inwood Hill Park. In fact, news of the gifts of land for Isham Park helped to inspire support for the purchase of the land that became Inwood Hill Park.

According to then Parks Commissioner Stover, as quoted in The New York Times on the day of the Civic Celebration in 1912, the gift of Isham Park was one of the first gifts of private land for the purpose of a public park in Manhattan.

Volunteers for Isham Park is dedicated to the history and physical improvement of Isham Park, in conjunction with the Partnerships for Parks, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the City Parks Foundation, and existing Isham Park volunteer groups, such as Bruce Reynolds Memorial Garden, and independent gardeners.

We hope you will join us in planning for a Centennial Celebration for Isham Park on September 28th 2012!

Invasive species removal went well...

The corner of Isham Street and Seaman Avenue saw a transformation on Saturday. Eight Volunteers, assisted by the Parks Department Gardener, removed huge weeds fed by the rains of Hurricane Irene.

The dry loose soil was a big help. But the greatest break for us was the fact that the composting operation at the same corner allowed us to dispose of most of the plant material discards.

The compost service operates from 8:00am to 12 noon during the Saturday Farmer's Market, so we sped up a bit and completed our removals by 12 noon.

A group of children playing with a broom saw my sleeve and screamed, which took me by complete surprise. Forgot it was covered common Burdock bristles so that it looked almost like the five o'clock shadow of a giant. They asked: "Does that hurt?"  I said no and explained what they were.  Then they picked the bristles off for me one by one!

Invasive species removal: Part II, tomorrow

Volunteers for Isham Park work day this week!

In April of this year, the VIP's removed Porcelain Berry vine http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/ambr1.htm and other invasive species from the north end of Isham Park.  The battle has not been won by a long shot!

Come and join us this Saturday, September 17th, from 9:30am to 12:30pm, at the fenced garden at the northeast corner of Isham Street and and Seaman Avenue.  

We will assist the NYC Parks Gardener in Isham Park in the quest to remove invasive species from that corner garden.  If time allows, we will also work to remove weeds and garbage from the Inwood Marble outcrop in the same area.  

The Saturday Farmer's Market will be in full swing so it should be a festive occasion...please come out to assist us in this endless quest!

Wednesday, September 28th 2011 is the 99th anniversary of the Gift of Isham Park to New York City!  This next year there will be many work days in advance of the Centennial of the Celebration of Julia Isham Taylor's gift to New York City of the land that became Isham Park. Work will be on-going.  Please contact Volunteers for Isham Park at volunteersforishampark@gmail.com if you would like to participate.