Community Garden at Scottish Rite Temple Officially Gone
Earth-moving equipment appeared this week at the former Temple Garden on the 1700 block of 15th Street NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Luis Gomez. Catch his photos on Picplz and at One Photograph A Day. Follow him on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos.
Last July, we published a story on the final crop of the Temple Garden on the 1700 block of 15th Street NW. The community garden, which opened in 1990, is on the grounds of the headquarters of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite Masons, located between R and S Streets, and between 15th and 16th Streets NW.
The Masons are currently undertaking a large project inside the temple and need the extra space for storage. Thus, the garden has been closed since the start of construction in November 2011. This week earth-moving equipment appeared in the gardens.
This undertaking has caused a bit of concern with community members. In fact, the Temple Garden board even submitted a letter suggesting alternative solutions, but no agreement was reached. Because of this, construction trucks and cranes began the removal work while the garden remains closed.
In the past 20 years, the popular community garden was a haven for city dwellers with a green thumb in search of a place to cultivate flowers, herbs and vegetables. In fact, the quarter acre site was such an enduring part of the neighborhood that it had its own website and rules.
Plots in the garden were reserved for DC residents who didn’t have a place to garden, and preferences were given to those residents in the 20005, 20009 and 20036 zip codes.
So tell us, how has the loss of the garden affected you this spring? Will you be short of flowers, basil, peppers and a creative outlet?
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