As you may know, we’ve been collecting items pertaining to Green-Wood and its permanent residents for years now.
What to do with all those great things?
And where to create a visitors’ center for Historic Green-Wood?
Well, as Christopher Gray reports in The New York Times today (and, rumor has it, scheduled to appear in Sunday’s print edition), Green-Wood is in contract to buy the landmarked Weir-McGovern greenhouse on the southwest corner of 25th Street and Fifth Avenue, just across the street from our main entrance.
There is still some negotiation to be done; let’s keep our fingers crossed that the purchase goes through. It would be great for Green-Wood!
Is it too early to start working on a volunteer schedule for staffing this building? Ok, I guess so . . .
Did someone read my mind? I was just talking about this place yesterday and was wondering what was going on with it.
A visiting center/museum would be great. I might even volunteer!
Good luck!
Thanks.
Yes, it would be a great step forward for Green-Wood. Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, I may be working on a volunteers schedule!
So glad I stumbled on this, we visited Weir-McGovern greenhouse a few months ago while travelling, but did not take pictures, we are now using the design for a new buidling in Salisbury England.
That’s great. Glad to be of service. Hopefully, if all goes well, Weir-McGovern will live and regenerate in Brooklyn (regenerated by a cemetery, that is), and will have its progeny in England.
James Weir, Jr., florist, founder and owner of the greenhouse, resident of 236 25th Street just down the block, Brooklyn alderman, member of the Board of education, and inveterate Shelter Island boatman (he died at the helm, literally), is buried in Green-Wood–Section 90, Lot 12660 on Bayside Avenue overlooking the Chapel.
Thanks, Bob! Yes, I’ve seen that grave; a few years ago a Brooklyn College student was assigned to research 5 random Green-Wood graves; he happened to choose James’s.