Queens Botanical Garden

Entrance Plaza, Queens Botanical Garden

Queens Botanical Garden (QBG), formally Queens Botanical Garden Society, Inc, is located at 43-50 Main Street in Flushing, Queens, New York. It consists of 39 acres, featuring rose, bee, herb, wedding, and perennial gardens, an arboretum, an art gallery, and a "Platinum" LEED rated Visitor & Administration Building. It is open to the public.

History

Queens Botanical Garden began as part of the 1939 New York World's Fair in Queens. After the fair, the garden expanded to take up a larger portion of Flushing Meadows Park. When work begun on construction of the 1964 World's Fair, the Garden was moved to a site across the street from Flushing Meadows Park to a location atop the stream bed of Kissena Creek.

Mission

QBG is "an urban oasis where people, plants, and cultures are celebrated through inspiring gardens, innovative educational programs and real-world applications of environmental stewardship."[1]

QBG's Children's Garden
Taiwan: A World of Orchids

Public Programs

Queens Botanical Garden hosts four seasons of public programming, including cultural celebrations and seasonal festivals such as Harvest Fest & Pumpkin Patch, Arbor Fest, Taiwan: A World of Orchids.

Education

QBG's educational workshops and tours offer children, adults,[2] and teachers[3] education through gardens and real-world applications of environmental stewardship.

Special Events & Rentals

The Garden hosts wedding ceremonies, receptions, and other private and corporate events.[4] Wedding photography is popular by appointment.

Farm & Compost Site

The Farm & Compost Site at Queens Botanical Garden showcases how to make and use compost to create healthy soil for many living creatures. It includes a compost bin display, one-acre farm, and pollinator habitat, that demonstrate how New Yorkers can divert organic waste and improve urban soils. Vegetables grown on the Farm are shared with interns, volunteers, and donated to emergency food relief programs. Crops grown on the Farm include heirloom tomatoes, beans, turnips, and a variety of kales, lettuces, peppers, and radishes.[5]

Funding & Construction

QBG is located on property owned by the City of New York, and its operation is made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Queens Borough President, the New York City Council, State elected officials, the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, along with corporate, foundation, and individual supporters.

On September 27, 2007, Mayor Bloomberg and other dignitaries attended the ribbon cutting of QBG's new Visitor & Administration Building. The center, designed by BKSK Architects, was the first building in New York City to achieve the "Platinum" LEED rating, effectively becoming one of New York's greenest buildings. The construction cost of QBG's Visitor & Administration Building amounted $12 million. The main contractor of the construction was Stonewall Contracting Corporation from New York.[6]

In 2005, it was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by then-New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.[7][8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mission & History - Queens Botanical Garden". Queens Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  2. ↑ "Group Programs for Adults - Queens Botanical Garden". Queens Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  3. ↑ "Teacher Learning - Queens Botanical Garden". Queens Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  4. ↑ "Weddings & Special Events - Queens Botanical Garden". Queens Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  5. ↑ "Our Farm & Compost Site - Queens Botanical Garden". Queens Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  6. ↑ QBG Visitor & Administration Center, Flushing, USA Green Buildings Directory, Retrieved on October, 2016.
  7. ↑ "City Groups Get Bloomberg Gift Of $20 Million". The New York Times. 6 July 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2008.

Coordinates: 40°45′01″N 73°49′44″W / 40.7504°N 73.8288°W / 40.7504; -73.8288


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