The goal of Patchen Community Square is to create a beautiful space in the heart of Bed-Stuy where all walks of life are welcome. This is a space for neighbors to congregate, feel safe, and be heard all while enjoying the benefits of greenery in an urban neighborhood. 

We recognize that the act of reclaiming public land for community use is a political act, and as such we aim to be a space that facilitates activism for the oppressed in our community. This includes actively enforcing our safe space policy and rallying against racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, ageism, and other forms of oppression.

View our bylaws.

Our History

In the 1980s, the community created a garden on a vacant lot where Patchen Community Square is located which was twice the size. During the Giuliani administration, elders of the community decided not to renew their lease with Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) citing a lack of youth who were interested in maintaining the space and the administration’s push to build on community gardens. The lot became, once again, a vacant lot. A new apartment building was created on half the space and the rest went feral. Developers later removed the gate began dumping rubble in the lot as the community began to gentrify.

In April 2012, neighbors and the Patchen Avenue Block Association began discussing plans for the space after seeing signs posted on the fence by the non-profit 596 Acres encouraging neighbors to create a garden in the vacant lot. In June, Community Board 3 and 596 Acres provided letters of support for HPD and Green Thumb licensing, and official licensing came in July of that year.

In 2015, Patchen Community Square was placed on HPD's list of lots that were to be built upon for Mayor diBlasio's commitment to 20,000 units of affordable housing. The estimated size and rent for the building slated for the garden’s lot would contain 10 apartments and cost $3,200/mo for a family of four. In 2016, after a year of advocating with the help of a citywide coalition of community gardeners (some of whom were also on the HPD list of lots), the garden was conveyed to the Parks Department where it will remain for future residents to use and garden.

Today, the garden is stewarded by members of the community and welcomes folks from all walks of life. In the corner of the garden, on the Patchen side, lives a spearmint plant planted by the first garden stewards in the 1980s.

Our Space