Magnolia grandiflora (Brooklyn)
Historic tree
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Magnolia grandiflora is a historic tree at 679 Lafayette Avenue in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City.[1] The specimen is a rare example of a flourishing laurel magnolia growing as far north as New York, having been brought as a seedling from North Carolina and planted around 1885 by William Lemken.[2] It is one of two trees that were made New York City designated landmarks; the other was the now-felled Weeping Beech in Flushing, Queens.
| Magnolia grandiflora | |
|---|---|
The magnolia in 2009 | |
  Location within New York City | |
| 40.6905°N 73.9467°W | |
| Location | 679 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, New York City |
| Site notes | |
| Governing body | Magnolia Tree Earth Center |
| Designated | May 12, 1977 |
| Reference no. | 0957 |
Beginning in the 1970s, it was protected by Hattie Carthan, who enlisted neighborhood schoolchildren to help raise money to protect the tree, which was threatened by the construction of a parking lot.[2] After the tree was made as a landmark, Carthan founded Magnolia Tree Earth Center, a nonprofit focused on urban beautification and environmental awareness.[3] The center is housed in the brownstone adjacent to the tree.
