Blake Street Pocket Park

Volunteer Leader(s):

Patrice Antoine

Genese Clark

Magaly Fernandez

Neighborhood: Beaver Hills

Type of Site: Vacant Lot

Address: 187 Blake Street, New Haven, CT, 06515

Intern(s):

Margaret Witkofsky (2025)

Yvonne Trenh (2024)

Roan Hollander (2023)

Jenn Richburg (2022)

Musa Joko (2021)

Photo Gallery

Susan widening the stone dust path around the Roundabout garden!

Susan looking toward the Roundabout garden!

2024 Greenspace Report

Blake Street Pocket Park is a lush, hidden gem nestled in the Beaver Hills neighborhood. Once an abandoned space, this serene park has been lovingly transformed into a thriving community haven thanks to the dedication of local residents. As visitors enter, they are greeted by vibrant murals, a flourishing herb garden, and a well-maintained food pantry. This year, our efforts focused on stewarding the park with great care. We tackled the overgrowth by removing invasive weeds, rejuvenating the soil with fresh mulch, pruning the encroaching trees and vines along the walls, and revitalizing the stone dust path, clearing it of stubborn weeds. Patrice, her family, and Susan have poured their hearts into making the park shine as it does today, ensuring that Blake Street Pocket Park remains a beloved and welcoming space for the entire community.

2024 Accomplishments

1.0 yards mulch spread
6 events
12 volunteers
38 volunteer hours

Annual Reports

Greenspace Log

06/07/2025

We had our first workday of the season! We cleaned up leaves and trash and began weeding in the park. We also are testing some different brick options for the path around the park.

Maintenance

05/31/2025

We began planning for the summer and weeding the front of the pocket park!

Planning

08/03/2024

The morning was soft and bright, and I was excited to see Patrice, Malachai, and Susan. They were thrilled to hear that the annual bus tour would pass through Blake St Pocket Park, but were sad they would be busy during that time. Today, we started at the front of the park, where Patrice, Malachai, and I pulled and swept away weeds that had grown through the cracks in the cement, while Susan swept up broken pieces of glass. After cleaning the front, we moved to the back and the roundabout garden, where Susan and I had been working to distinguish the path last time. We were ecstatic to see the grass in the back had been mowed, and some of the weeds had been removed. While Susan and I cleared the grass from the path, Patrice collected the mowed weeds. By the end of our workday, the path in the back was sparkling. It has been such a delightful time caring for this pocket park with Susan, Patrice, and the other volunteers. Come by, visit, admire, and help care for this special park when you have the time!

Maintenance

Urban Resources Initiative

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