Lucille McClarey Wicked Friendship Garden
Garden open season is from mid-April to end of October! (Closed for winter)
Get updates and visit us on social media:
Instagram: @wicked_friendship_garden
Facebook: Friendship Garden (Wicked)
Location
499 W 150th St. On the Amsterdam side of W 150th St. Our garden is owned by NYRP and more info can also be found here!
Hours
Hours depend on our volunteers availability and are posted on the gate every season. Everyone is welcome. Play games, enjoy friends, take a break and enjoy our oasis in the city!
I want to help!
And we need it! Everyone is welcome and the garden can't stay open without volunteers to keep it open! Volunteers are asked to commit to 2 hours per week to keep the garden open and help with light cleaning and watering of plants. Read volunteer-for-the-garden.pdf to learn more! ESPANOL: voluntario-del-jardin_es.pdf
If you would like to learn more about how to volunteer or get involved please contact us at [email protected]
I want to have an event in the garden
Fabulous! We would love to host your event. Please remember that we cannot hold any private events in the garden- all events must be open to the public. A small deposit is requested to use the garden but is refundable upon inspection so long as it is clean and ready for use after your event. For more information please contact [email protected]
History of the Garden (EN ESPANOL: historia-del-jardin_es.pdf)
The Lucille McClarey Wicked Friendship Garden began over 30 years ago when block activist, Mrs. Lucille McClarey, got neighbors together to clear out an abandoned lot and rented it from the city for $1 a year. She loved and tended to the Garden until she passed in the late 1990s. In the late 90s and early 2000 the city began to talk of taking the land back. New York Restoration Project purchased the land with the intention to keep the garden intact and give it back to the community to enjoy.
In 2007, as part of their Green for Good campaign, the smash Broadway production of Wicked provided funding to renovate the Friendship Garden with a wildly imaginative and fantastical design provided by the show’s Associate Scenic Designer, Edward Pierce. In anticipation of the opening of this community treasure, Wicked organized a benefit performance – providing free tickets to neighborhood residents who attended the garden’s planning sessions. All other proceeds from the performance continue to help support the garden’s ongoing maintenance.
Echoing themes of the Land of Oz – and as portrayed in the Broadway production – the Friendship Garden features unique Oz-inspired lampposts and fencing, a poppy-painted mural, a "yellow brick" path, an "emerald" granite patio, a spiral-twisted stone barbeque and two new street trees in front of the space. The revitalized garden is also lush with plant life – including a variety of roses, lilies, hostas and hydrangeas. Finally, a wishing well – located in the middle of the garden – symbolizes that a community working together, as one, can truly make any wish come true.
Wicked cast members and NYRP Founder Bette Midler hosted a special garden opening on Wicked Day, October 28, 2007, culminating a month-long celebration of Green for Good events in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and London. As part of the day’s festivities, thousands of visitors and community members gathered along 150th Street to enjoy performances, food and refreshments, and costume contests and also learned how to live green through a series of interactive, eco-friendly exhibits.
Located in Harlem, the Friendship Garden is situated within five blocks of several schools in a neighborhood whose residents are primarily of Hispanic and African-American descent.
Hours
Hours depend on our volunteers availability and are posted on the gate every season. Everyone is welcome. Play games, enjoy friends, take a break and enjoy our oasis in the city!
I want to help!
And we need it! Everyone is welcome and the garden can't stay open without volunteers to keep it open! Volunteers are asked to commit to 2 hours per week to keep the garden open and help with light cleaning and watering of plants. Read volunteer-for-the-garden.pdf to learn more! ESPANOL: voluntario-del-jardin_es.pdf
If you would like to learn more about how to volunteer or get involved please contact us at [email protected]
I want to have an event in the garden
Fabulous! We would love to host your event. Please remember that we cannot hold any private events in the garden- all events must be open to the public. A small deposit is requested to use the garden but is refundable upon inspection so long as it is clean and ready for use after your event. For more information please contact [email protected]
History of the Garden (EN ESPANOL: historia-del-jardin_es.pdf)
The Lucille McClarey Wicked Friendship Garden began over 30 years ago when block activist, Mrs. Lucille McClarey, got neighbors together to clear out an abandoned lot and rented it from the city for $1 a year. She loved and tended to the Garden until she passed in the late 1990s. In the late 90s and early 2000 the city began to talk of taking the land back. New York Restoration Project purchased the land with the intention to keep the garden intact and give it back to the community to enjoy.
In 2007, as part of their Green for Good campaign, the smash Broadway production of Wicked provided funding to renovate the Friendship Garden with a wildly imaginative and fantastical design provided by the show’s Associate Scenic Designer, Edward Pierce. In anticipation of the opening of this community treasure, Wicked organized a benefit performance – providing free tickets to neighborhood residents who attended the garden’s planning sessions. All other proceeds from the performance continue to help support the garden’s ongoing maintenance.
Echoing themes of the Land of Oz – and as portrayed in the Broadway production – the Friendship Garden features unique Oz-inspired lampposts and fencing, a poppy-painted mural, a "yellow brick" path, an "emerald" granite patio, a spiral-twisted stone barbeque and two new street trees in front of the space. The revitalized garden is also lush with plant life – including a variety of roses, lilies, hostas and hydrangeas. Finally, a wishing well – located in the middle of the garden – symbolizes that a community working together, as one, can truly make any wish come true.
Wicked cast members and NYRP Founder Bette Midler hosted a special garden opening on Wicked Day, October 28, 2007, culminating a month-long celebration of Green for Good events in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and London. As part of the day’s festivities, thousands of visitors and community members gathered along 150th Street to enjoy performances, food and refreshments, and costume contests and also learned how to live green through a series of interactive, eco-friendly exhibits.
Located in Harlem, the Friendship Garden is situated within five blocks of several schools in a neighborhood whose residents are primarily of Hispanic and African-American descent.
Upcoming Events in the Garden
Monthly Garden meeting: every first Saturday at 2pm - check Calendar to confirm
Annual Plant Sale Fundraiser - May 11th 2024 - PAST
Block Party - August 10th 2024 - Volunteer OR Donate
Halloween in the Garden - Oct 31st 2024- email us if you want to join garden activities
Check our instagram for more current info of events @wicked_friendship_garden
For more details on any events email us at [email protected]
Annual Plant Sale Fundraiser - May 11th 2024 - PAST
Block Party - August 10th 2024 - Volunteer OR Donate
Halloween in the Garden - Oct 31st 2024- email us if you want to join garden activities
Check our instagram for more current info of events @wicked_friendship_garden
For more details on any events email us at [email protected]
