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

2025 Greenspace Report

Once an abandoned lot, a group of dedicated volunteers worked hard to transform this space into a beautiful pocket park. There are many reasons that this park stands out, including its food pantry, a standing garden that community members can use for vegetables or herbs, and a mural painted by community members. This summer, the group added pavers and bricks to transform the paths in the park, removed invasive plants, mulched the garden beds, and moved some old plantings to free them from encroaching grass and invasives. The group even created a brush pile in the back of the lot to create a home for native New Haven wildlife!

2025 Accomplishments

1.5 yards mulch spread
9 events
13 volunteers
73 volunteer hours

Annual Reports

Greenspace Log

05/31/2025

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

Planning

Susan widening the stone dust path around the Roundabout garden!

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

Susan looking toward the Roundabout garden!

07/20/2024

It was a very cool morning as I arrived at Blake St Pocket Park. With the Antoine family out of town this week, I called Susan to check in, and she excitedly replied that she was on her way! As always, she arrived with a big smile, a warm greeting, and holding her trusty scufflehoe. She started working on the stone dust path, once again amazed at how quickly the tool worked. She continued all the way to the back, while I followed with a rake to gather the weeded parts. When we reached the Roundabout garden, Susan mentioned that the path continued through a patch of grass, so we set to work with the scufflehoes, enjoying a lovely conversation about our families. A new volunteer, Desirae, and her daughter, Rosy, joined us. They live next to the pocket park and were very excited to see us working on it. Desirae shared stories about the property before it became this park. By the end of the workday, the path leading to the Roundabout garden was much clearer! Join us next Saturday at 9 am to give our park some love!

Maintenance

Urban Resources Initiative

Main menu

Programs