06/08/2026
Please join us Wednesday June 10 at 6pm to celebrate ribbon cutting for the New Tompkinsville Greenhouse to bring plants and environmental education to youth and families in Tompkinsville Park.
Staten Island Urban Center (SIUC), in partnership with the Local Center and Studio HIP, today announced the launch of a new climate and biodiversity education project in Tompkinsville, Staten Island. Created with support from Con Edison, the “Tompkinsville Greenhouse” will be a hands-on space for youth to engage with urban garden education and environmental stewardship in Tompkinsville Park, a space that previously suffered from neglect.
The Greenhouse complements amenities brought to the park and surrounding streets by SIUC in recent years, including the Abuelita Masala, a multifunctional structure that grounds the seasonal Afro-Caribbean Food + Spice Market and other programming, and the Tompkinsville Lightway, a creative lighting installation designed by A+A+A and artist Urechi Oguguo connecting Minthorne Street to the Park, which debuted last month.
The Greenhouse advances SIUC’s youth development work in the neighborhood, working to cultivate action-oriented youth who are driven by what they care about and informed on. With a focus on food sovereignty and entrepreneurship education, SIUC seeks to build self-determination and independence in the young people they work with. The space will be used to grow herbs, host plant giveaways, and convene educational offerings. The Community Greenhouse will be maintained by neighborhood residents and serve as a teaching tool to equip the next generation for climate resilience.
The project is part of Resilient Blocks, a Local Center initiative supporting neighborhood leaders to bring greener, more vibrant public spaces to neighborhoods most vulnerable to extreme heat and flooding. Drawing on neighborhood visions, leaders work alongside technical advisors with expertise in landscape design, horticulture, and resiliency to transform concrete public spaces — increasing greenery and creating opportunities for environmental education in plazas, parks, and streets.
"The Tompkinsville Greenhouse provides opportunities for local residents to grow, sustain and practice food sovereignty. It is a win for our community” says Kelly Vilar, Founder and CEO, Staten Island Urban Center."
Staten Island Urban Center is grateful to Jennifer Nitzky, Design Principal, Studio HIP Landscape Architecture, for her guidance on this project. We are also especially grateful to Martha Snow, Director of Community Design, Urban Design Forum-The Local Center, Association for Neighborhood Housing and Development and Con Edison for offering us an opportunity to do this work. We are also thankful to the friends of Tompkinsville Park, NYC Parks Borough Commissioner Joseph Homsey and the NYC Parks Borough Team for their exceptional encouragement and support of our work. We are also thankful for the City Parks Foundation for their support.
