Bathgate Community Garden

Sponsored by Bette Midler

Bette Midler founded New York Restoration Project in 1995 to reclaim and restore open spaces in New York City’s highest need communities across all five boroughs. One of its first commitments was the purchase of 52 community gardens, most of which have been brought back to both life and use. A capstone of this work has been the renovation of Bathgate Community Garden, the largest in our garden trust and one that Bette made a personal commitment to restore.

At nearly 16,000 square feet, Bathgate more closely resembles a park than a garden. In late 2018, NYRP hosted meetings with Tremont residents in the Bronx where the garden is located, community-based organizations, and representatives from many of the neighborhood schools to gather feedback on use and to build a constituency for the space.

The design firm Sawyer | Berson has generously donated their services to this project and actively participated in the community meetings. The renovation was completed in early 2021 and the garden now includes multiple raised garden beds for neighborhood gardeners, ornamental plantings, trees, and a shade structure, making it the perfect space for community gatherings and neighborhood events.