STEEM Park - Brooklyn, NY

On New Years morning, I woke up in a gorgeous AirBnB apartment situated in Brooklyn Heights, NY. I checked out and went for a walk to find breakfast. As I was strolling around the neighborhood I remembered hearing about the STEEM Park initiative in Brooklyn that was discussed at STEEMFest. I put in an Uber request and soon I arrived at Herbert von King Park or better known as STEEM Park...

STEEM Park is the first STEEM-powered community garden in Brooklyn, NY. The idea was launched and fulfilled by @hitheryon, @hansikhouse and @voronoi, along with support from many community sponsors.

STEEM Park Supporters and Sponsors:

@andrarchy @surfermarly @fulltimegeek @dylanhobalart @gardenlady @good-karma @virtualgrowth @clayop @thejohalfiles @natureofbeing @steemed @heymattsokol @orenshani7 @meesterboom @yogi.artist @madlenfox @da-dawn @kanedizzle08 @vip @lighthil @inphiknit @airmatti @velimir @leesongyi @preparedwombat @abdullar

STEEM Park

“Welcome to STEEM Park! This pop-up summer garden was designed and funded exclusively through Steemit.com a social media platform that rewards impactful content with digital currency (called STEEM). This garden within Herbert Von King Park represents an entirely new way to empower community projects and celebrate places within our own neighborhood.”

It was a sunny yet frigid morning. I was dressed as if I was going skiing for the day. After a long night of partying in the city, my only plans were to make it home to my bed.

A pit stop at STEEM Park seemed too good to pass up. As I arrived at Herbert Von King Park I began to walk around and admire the open space. It was a typical New Years morning. There were people playing fetch with their dogs, people going for runs to start their New Years resolutions, and people throwing their dying Christmas trees in the middle of the park to decompose...

I was thrilled when I arrived at the STEEM Park monuments, benches and planters... People must have thought I was a weirdo or something. It was well below freezing and I was hanging out having the time of my life with a bunch of empty planters.

This planter was sponsored by @abdullar and @clayop

Herbert Von King Park Conservancy

"The Herbert Von King Park Conservancy is a newly established non-profit organization that oversees the historic landmark in Beford-Stuyvesant. The conservancy manages the park’s public programs and public amenities for the Park and visitors. It’s function is to supplement and maintain the safety, quality, and livelihood of the park. Through community activities, creative advocacy and horticulture-related programming, their mission is to support Herbert Von King Park as the artistic active ground for the Bed-Stuy community in Brooklyn, NY."

This planter was sponsored by @steemed and @natureofbeing

Magnolia Tree in Brooklyn

“In 1885, a man named William Lemken brought a strange seedling to Herbert Von King Park. This seed had come all the way from a Southern Magnolia tree in North Carolina. An admirer of the magnolia’s signature white flowers, William planted the seed along the northern border of the park at 677 Lafayette Ave. The tree thrived! But years later in the 1960’s developers sought to purchase the plot of land it was planted on in order to build new housing and parking lots along the edge of the park. Luckily one activist named ‘Hattie Carthan’ fought off the encroaching development and raised money in order to protect it. Hattie later became known as ‘the tree lady’.”

This planter was sponsored by @gardenlady and @surfermarly

Tompkins Park

“Herbert Von King Park was originally named Tompkins Park when it first opened in 1871. The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Olmsted is responsible for other major green assets of New York City such as Central Park, Prospect Park and Fort Greene Park. Olmsted is widely heralded as the father of modern parks and the reason that we put such a strong emphasis on open public spaces in our cities today. In 1985, the name ‘Tompkins’ was replaced to honor a local community leader, ‘Herbert Von King’.”

Benches Sponsored by @andrarchy , @voronoi & @hansikhouse

Check Out @andarchy’s video on YouTube:
Reimagining Public Works Through Blockchain

More Benches Sponsored by @virtualgrowth, @prufarchy & @thejohalfiles

Check Out @sndbox’s video on YouTube:
The Park That Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Built : STEEM PARK

Overall I am very happy that I took the time to visit STEEM Park. It is a historical project and a major step in the right direction for community activities on the blockchain. I felt a sense of 'home' when I was sitting on those benches alongside the names of the great STEEM users that made it happen. I was lucky enough to meet some of the sponsors at @steemfest in Lisbon and they were all very inspiring human beings. It was even more fitting that I spent the first morning of the year at STEEM Park, because from the looks of it, 2018 is going to be a BIG year for the STEEM network!

Launch of STEEM Park Post
by @hitheryon

Grand-Opening of STEEM Park Post
by @voronoi

Announcing STEEM Park Documentary Post
by @hitheryon

Thanks For Reading!