This treasured neighborhood space has been a community garden and playground since 1925. Its shady trees make it a very popular site during the summer months and schoolchildren enjoy using this large, 4,120-square-foot garden to play and engage with the outdoors. The garden’s table and gazebo are also often used by neighborhood residents for picnics and community gatherings.

In 2006, a volunteer group of developmentally disabled adults from Promoting Specialized Care & Heath, Inc. – an organization that provides healthcare, rehabilitative and habilitative services, job training and competitive employment in the New York metropolitan area – began working in, beautifying and enjoying the garden.

To help ensure the garden continues to serve as an active green space and engages local residents for years to come, New York Restoration Project (NYRP) staff and horticulture crews work with community members to remove trash and provide ongoing maintenance, building assistance and plant material for the garden – including wood for raised planting beds, gardening tools, compost and vegetable seedlings.

Located in the Little Neck section of Queens, the Pembroke Avenue Community Garden is surrounded by a community whose residents are primarily of Anglo and Asian descent. Single-family homes and commercial properties dominate the neighborhood.