DPR

Welcome to the Robert F. Lederer Environmental Education Center and Youth Garden. This center honors Robert F. Lederer, the Executive Vice President of the American Association of Nurserymen during the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's term in office. Managed by the United States Department of Parks and Recreation, the facility promotes the ideas of urban gardening through educational programs and public community gardens.

In addition to providing an educational and urban gardening amenity for the community, the site is rich with American history. The site is located amid Marvin Gaye Park, a 1.5 mile stretch along the Watts Branch Creek in the northeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. The Park commemorates African American singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye, who in is early childhood, lived in the Deanwood neighborhood just northeast of the Youth Gardens. Along the Marvin Gaye Park Trail and just south of the gardens lies The King Nature Sanctuary, which commemorates a particular visit and speech that Dr. Martin Luther King gave to the community in a field where the Lederer Environmental Education Center now stands. The Marvin Gaye Park is one of the largest community park revitalization projects in Washington, D.C. history, and it has become a national model for both crime and violence reduction through inner-city
park revitalization.

The site was redeveloped in 2013 by the District of Columbia Building Industry Association for annual Community Improvement Day sponsored by local businesses. Branded as a "Play Garden", the site is an area to Learn, Grow, Eat, & Play. The site has ultimately become an educational park that promotes ideas of urban gardening in an effort to re-engage a community that once prospered with urban farming. All visitors are welcome to explore and utilize the gardens and activity areas throughout the site.

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  Washington, DC  |  20019  |  District Of Columbia  |  United States of America

From Rural to Residential
A Whirl on the Ferris Wheel
National Training School for Women and Girls/ Nannie Helen Burroughs
From Gardens to Garden Apartments
Butterflies
With These Hands
A Day at the Picture Show
Watts Going On
Shopping on Sheriff
100 Years of Afro-American History

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.