Lawrence Avenue "Global Garden" an oasis in Albany Park, Ravenswood Manor

GLOBAL GARDEN (from Peterson Garden Project)
Lawrence/Sacramento Location
Albany Park – 33rd Ward
Partnership
North River Commission, Global Gardens Urban Refugee Training Farm, Slow Food Chicago, Seed Savers Exchange
Grow2Give™
Produce will be given to Lincoln Square Friendship Center and First Slice
 

The Global Garden at West Lawrence Avenue and North Sacramento in Albany Park has been up and running for a few years now.  The site cleaned up the "blight" that was a busted condo development adjacent to Ronan Park and the river.  As the saying goes things happen for a reason and this garden trumps a condo development at this particular location for sure. Read about the development of this site at this everyblock thread. 

I stopped by the Global Garden at 2900 W Lawrence, Chicago IL 60625 in the Albany Park / Ravenswood Manor neighborhood earlier this month. Developed by the Peterson Garden Project the large urban garden offers a striking contrast to the Lawrence commercial corridor that's a jumble of independent business success and failure.  However, this strip of Lawrence from North Western Avenue to North Kedzie Avenue is becoming more lively. The garden, to me, acts as an organic anchor promoting the vibrancy of the surrounding community.

The garden was buzzing with activity this late morning in July. The site operates as a food and training resource for refugee families and offers garden plots to neighbors for a $65.00 (or so) fee.

Global Garden community plots. Several neighbors from the green minded Ravenswood Manor community to the south walk over to tend to their little farms. All photos Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty

Living near the garden
Condos with West Lawrence Avenue addresses near the garden site vary form vintage condo conversions around $200K to newer construction condo units over $400,000.  Town houses sit adjacent to the west and look unobstructed over the garden.

Single family homes within a couple blocks of the Global Garden have sold prices ranging from $230,000 for a small foreclosure house at 4836 N Albany, Chicago IL 60625 to $899,000 for 4905 N California; an expanded luxury gut renovation east of the garden.