Over time, NSNP’s garden spaces have served every purpose imaginable. They have offered solace through cultivating food, herbs, and flowers; provided our community with Latinx culturally significant green spaces; hosted theater and music performances; taught young people the importance of connecting with the Earth; brought neighborhoods together; and invoked passions in hearts of community members from all walks of life.
NSNP’s ½ acre of urban gardens were created between 1980 and 2006 by the women of Grupo Motivos, led by co-founders Iris Brown and Tomasita Romero, and community residents. Each of the six gardens represents and embodies the diversity of the Puerto Rican culture and West African diasporas in Philadelphia.
The Butterfly Garden
Location: 2141 N. Howard St., Philadelphia, PA 19122
This garden is adjacent to the NSNP headquarters at 2141 N. Howard Street. The garden is meant for quiet activities and reflection. It is the perfect place for a cup of tea and a good book. The butterfly bushes attract hundreds of fluttering butterflies. Through a collaboration with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, participants in NSNP’s Summer Youth Program sculpted and painted clay butterflies that decorate the surrounding fence. A colorful clay mosaic mural serves as a backdrop to this garden dedicated to NSNP founders Natalie Kempner and Helen Loeb.
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Las Parcelas
Location: 2248 N. Palethorp St., Philadelphia, PA 19133
Las Parcelas is the hub of the Norris Square gardens, covering over 30 city lots. The garden includes La Casita de Abuela (the grandmother’s small house), which is a replica of a petite “house” reminiscent of rural Puerto Rico. La Casita has become a mini-museum with donated items from older residents, such as musical instruments, cooking utensils, homemade crafts, and much more. In addition to La Casita, the garden features an outdoor kitchen for cooking demonstrations, rows and rows of garden plots, and an extraordinary mural devoted to the women of Grupo Motivos and local community members.
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El Batey
Location: 169 W. Susquehanna Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19122
The brilliant garden on West Susquehanna Avenue is unmistakably El Batey, historically known as the indigenous Taíno ceremonial plaza for spiritual rituals and games. The garden encourages people to gather and celebrate life. Neighbors chitchat on brightly painted benches, putter around the painted Taino petroglyph replicas, and admire the colorful Butterflies of the Caribbean mural by Salvador Gonzalez, a muralist and Yoruba religious painter from La Habana, Cuba.
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Jardín de Paz
Location: 2201 N. 2nd St. Philadelphia, PA 19122
Jardín de Paz, or “garden of peace,” is the perfect place for quiet reflection. The densely set shrubbery and large, lofty trees take visitors away from the noise and congestion of city life. In the center of this soothing space, a peace pole features the inscription, “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” in eight languages.
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Raíces
Location: 2217 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19133
To nurture the local children’s interest in nature, NSNP established Raíces Garden. The Spanish word for “roots,” Raíces encourages children to learn and play in a safe, quiet place. The educational component of the garden could not be clearer. Its towering mural is like an unfurled textbook, depicting the rich and complex history of Puerto Rico and its people. Vignettes featuring Taíno Natives, horse-mounted conquistadors, exotic wildlife, and present-day people speak volumes about the culture.
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Villa Africana Colobó
Location: 2263 N. Palethorp St., Philadelphia, PA 19133
Villa Africana Colobó was created in 2006 and explores the West African diaspora inherent in Puerto Rican culture and ancestry. In the center of the garden are three African huts, which are extravagantly painted both inside and out. The garden also features an outdoor kitchen that is used for cooking demonstrations and get-togethers. Villa Africána Colobó includes a storytelling room with brightly colored walls. Artifacts, crafts, and books from Africa and Puerto Rico tell the stories of traditions and cultural practices connected to the African heritage on the island.
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