Eric Booker stood with his back to the park rising up on the site of 18 demolished East Baltimore rowhouses and gazed at the adjacent renovated red-brick American Brewery building that houses the social services non-profit, Humanim.

“That’s what we used to call Darth Vader’s castle,” Booker said, during a tree-planting ceremony Saturday for the New Broadway East Community Park. “We used to break in there to catch pigeons – because there was no park to play in.”

Now, as part of a project coordinated by the Parks & People Foundation, a third of an acre of city-owned land at the corner of Gay and Federal streets is being transformed into a green space with trees, flowers, benches and a place for the community to gather.

“If we lived to be 1,000 we couldn’t thank you enough,” said Doris Minor-Terrell, president of the New Broadway East Community Association, standing with Booker, who is a member.

They were two of the people who spoke at this weekend gathering of volunteers, corporate sponsors and representatives of the city, state and non-profit entities who coordinated to make the park happen.

Lying on their side awaiting planting were 24 trees (Alle Elms, Honey Locusts, Willow Oaks, Crape Myrtle) along with Liriope, Pink Muhlygrass, St. John’s Wort, Purple Coneflower and other native species.

Blight Elimination 101

Blessed with a spectacular distant view of downtown skyscrapers, the park sits in a close-up landscape where families and senior citizens live amid boarded-up and dilapidated buildings.

“This is part of our effort to make green spaces all across the city,” said Jackie Carrera, president and CEO of Parks & People, noting that it is one of the few new parks to have been made in the city in recent years.

The little wedge-shaped park will be easy on the environment as well, Carrera noted, noting the use of rain-absorbing “porous” pavement, as well as benches and trash cans made from recycled paper (donated by Boise Inc.).

Also present at today’s ceremony were representatives of the city, which spent about $800,000 to demolish the rowhouses, repave the sidewalks and make other improvements.

“I can’t think of a better example of taking vacants and making something of value out of them,” said Julie Day, deputy commissioner of the city Housing Department. “This is what blight elimination is all about.”

The main costs for the park were covered by a $200,000 state grant, obtained by Parks & People, which brought out some of its iconic longtime members for today’s event.

At the microphone, Carrera recognized Parks & People senior director Guy Hager (“our ‘Steady Eddie’”) and the city’s Johnny Appleseed, longtime volunteer Gene DeSantis, who has kept track of a lifetime of planting trees (“What are you up to now, Gene 14,108, I think!”)

Vowing to be Vigilant on Maintenance

Longtime residents walking along Gay Street looked at the flurry of activity and spoke about the history of the spot.

“I’m glad they’re doing something with it. The houses that were there were in terrible shape,” said Thelma Rascoe, who has lived in the neighborhood for 36 years. “Of course, they used to be very nice.”

Minor-Terrell, a 40-year resident of the neighborhood, agreed. “I was here when this was a thriving community. Most people were steelworkers or waterfront workers,” she said.

Could this spot – once thriving, then blighted, now spiffed up – fall back into dilapidation, she was asked. (Humanim has agreed to be responsible for maintaining the park, where the porous paving requires special care to ensure it is absorbent.)

Minor-Terrell said that was a significant concern. “We are going to have to watch that closely,” she said. “The community will have to be very much involved with maintenance.”

Residents, she said, have a huge stake in the park’s success.

“Parks are a great asset. Children can play in them, people can meet there, seniors can socialize there. Seniors are pretty much trapped in their houses around here these days,” she said. “We are trying with this place to breathe new life into the community.”