New Agricultural Education Center Coming to Marlboro Houses
On June 1, Mayor Eric Adams and senior administration officials broke ground on the new Marlboro Agricultural Education Center at Marlboro Houses in Gravesend, Brooklyn. The 9,900-square-foot center, whose construction is being overseen by the NYC Department of Design and Construction, will include a rooftop greenhouse that supports raising fish and plants. The greenhouse will empower young adults in underserved communities to engage with local, sustainable food production, as well as serve as learning labs for schoolchildren and visitors.
“All New Yorkers deserve access to healthy, nutritious food — you can’t have Whole Foods in Park Slope and junk food in Brownsville,” said Mayor Adams. “This state-of-the-art agricultural education center will help us get closer to that goal, while providing an invaluable, resilient space that will bring sustainable food, jobs, and education to this community.”
“Every neighborhood in New York City needs and deserves a lot more green, and Marlboro Greenhouse will green the Marlboro Houses year-round,” Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi added.
“A major part of this administration’s housing blueprint is ensuring all New Yorkers have healthy and sustainable food systems,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “NYCHA’s Marlboro Agriculture Education Center helps fulfill this vision, and is a model of how we can bring healthy food resources to communities as quickly as possible.”
“Using our most advanced construction tools, we are converting this space into a state-of-the-art urban agricultural center that will support local food production and will offer education, job training, and internships on-site,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley.
“NYCHA is very excited to be taking a huge step forward in cultivating this critical neighborhood hub for the residents of Marlboro Houses and members of the surrounding Gravesend community,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “It is a tremendous feeling to contribute to a project like the Marlboro Agricultural Education Center, which will yield fresh, healthy food and serve as an educational epicenter and community gathering space. We are so thankful to our City partners for their work to help make this new climate-forward and sustainable building a reality.”
“The Marlboro Agricultural Education Center represents a positive step forward in providing agriculture education for both NYCHA residents and surrounding communities,” said Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture Executive Director Qiana Mickie. “This state-of-the-art greenhouse facility will include hydroponic and soil-based growing, a teaching kitchen, aquaponics, and an indoor market. Kudos to DDC for their spectacular work. I would also like to recognize Dr. Melony Samuels of The Campaign Against Hunger for her stalwart advocacy and partnership in realizing this amazing vision for urban agriculture.”
“A large part of food education is learning about how food is grown,” said Mayor’s Office of Food Policy Executive Director Kate MacKenzie. “Residents of Marlboro Houses will have an extraordinary asset, an Agricultural Education Center, to learn about growing food, and to enjoy the vegetables and fruits it will produce. This is a significant investment that will have profound benefits for the community.”
In addition to a greenhouse, the center will also include an indoor market for the winter; a teaching kitchen that will offer cooking classes and demonstrations for seniors, teens, and adults; and a multipurpose room for job training and other programs for the community. Educational programming will include The Campaign Against Hunger’s “Green Teens” internship and certificate programs, as well as other partnerships with community schools, camps, and non-profits. The center will be built on West 11th Street between Avenue W and Avenue X.
“I am thrilled that we’ve arrived at the groundbreaking for this monumental project for the Marlboro Houses community,” said Amarilys Herrera, President of the Marlboro Houses Resident Association. “The Marlboro Greenhouse will serve as a neighborhood focal point and an incredible resource for NYCHA residents and the local Gravesend community. We are creating a safe space for everyone to gather and actively better themselves through educational trainings, community programming, and sustainable food resources — among much more — and it will be an amazing asset to the residents of Marlboro Houses.”
The building is designed to be sustainable, using materials that can endure heavy use and require minimal maintenance over a life cycle of more than 60 years. The facility, which will meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold standards, will be elevated to address the building’s location within a coastal flood zone, and to provide spaces with more natural light and views. The greenhouse growing areas will be located on the second floor to maximize daylight and visibility.
The building is designed by Studio Gang, the international architecture and urban design practice founded and led by Jeanne Gang, and will be built by Consigli Construction Co., Inc., a leading construction firm and general contractor.
“From urban farming to food business entrepreneurship and emergency food support, NYCHA residents are at the vanguard of many food system components across the city,” noted Andrea Mata, NYCHA’s Director of Resident Health Initiatives. “This new, state-of-the-art facility will allow NYCHA residents to plug into indoor food production, and will serve as a community hub for health and wellness programming grounded in food. This innovative project was made possible thanks to the City’s investment, Marlboro Houses resident partners, collaboration with our new partner The Campaign Against Hunger, and the many NYCHA teams who worked hard with the NYC Department of Design and Construction.”
“Supported by Mayor Adams and City agencies, The Campaign Against Hunger gratefully inaugurates the Marlboro Agricultural Education Center, creating a vibrant ecosystem by advancing food equity in Brooklyn,” said Dr. Melony Samuels, CEO and Founder of The Campaign Against Hunger. “This facility expands our ‘Green Teens’ program, equipping 130 youths annually with skills in sustainable food practices. Our efforts are enhancing community outreach and strengthening a food system that nourishes and unites.”
The Marlboro Agricultural Education Center complements NYCHA’s Farms at NYCHA urban agricultural partnerships. NYCHA currently has nine urban farms operated by four partners; in 2023, these sites grew and distributed nearly 37,000 pounds of fresh produce and collected over 35,000 pounds of food scraps for compost.
Have a question about urban agriculture and gardening at NYCHA? Email gardens@nycha.nyc.gov.
Photos credit: Michael Appletone/Mayoral Photography Office
Renderings credit: Studio Gang
