Riverside/Inwood Neighborhood Garden (Established 1984)

By Annie Hawkins of Sovereign Associates

The Riverside-Inwood Garden "began as a fleeting thought by Maggie Clarke" at a community meeting set up by Assemblyman Brian Murtaugh in February of 1984. The meeting occurred at the Episcopal Church on Cumming Street and Seaman Avenue. This meeting was called to determine what should be done with a rubble-covered lot located at 1815 Riverside Drive in Inwood.

With the help of volunteers and students from Our Lady Queen of Martyrs School, that lot was turned into an award-winning flower and ornamentals garden. RING won Mollie Parnis "Dress Up Your Neighborhood" contests in 1985 and 1987 and won numerous awards for flower arrangements in New York Horticultural Society competitions.

In 1987 the property 1815 Riverside was sold, and in 1990 with the help of the NYC Parks Department, a dedicated Council member, Assemblymember, and Senator, and an endowment from the Trust for Public Land, the RING garden was re-established at the Lt. William Tighe Triangle, where Riverside Drive, Dyckman Street, Broadway, and Seaman Avenue all converge.

Incorporated in 1991, RING began its second community garden. The new Garden, based on the same design principles as the original, won many awards for beauty, including city-wide Mollie Parnis contests throughout the 1990s and the National Gardening Association award in 1992.

To this day, RING continues to be a strong part of the Inwood community. RING provides gardening and composting education for children and adults in the neighborhood, hosts several events, and provides respite for the neighborhood. Among the abundant greenery, you'll discover a solar-powered waterfall and a goldfish pond.

RING's most active times are between mid-March and December and include Art in the Garden, the Garden Flea Market, and the Christmas Tree and Menorah Lighting. Come by and enjoy the Garden, located right across from the lively restaurant row, Quisqueya Plaza.

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