Newtown Creek Wildflower Roof and Community Space AKA Kingsland Wildflowers

In 2015, through a competitive process, a partnership of NYC Audubon and Newtown Creek Alliance (NCA) received a GCEF grant of $971,782 (and provided $2,571,840 in matching funds) to install a 21,711-square-foot, multi-level, bird-friendly, intensive green roof on the Broadway Stages building at 520 Kingsland Avenue. The goal of the roof – referred to as “Kingsland Wildflowers” – was to reduce stormwater runoff, and provide publicly-accessible green space, an outdoor education classroom, and environmental-education programming for Greenpoint residents. Major GCEF-funded project activities included planting the roof with biologically-diverse native plant species, and monitoring the biodiversity of the green roof and sharing these results with the community. The project also provided educational programming for elementary and middle school educators, held public education events including tours, lectures, workshops and open houses, and offered public access and eco-festival community days. In addition, the project created a stewardship and volunteer network for the roof’s long-term maintenance, and conducted local “green-collar” job training in green roof installation and upkeep.

In 2017, through another competitive process, NYC Audubon in partnership with NCA was awarded $162,902 in additional funding to extend roof maintenance and further community programming at the site. New programming included an annual fall festival event; lectures and presentations in the green space; school and camp visits to the roof; public tours; a spring conference on the importance of birds in urban environments; and printed interpretive materials. The additional funding also supported 25 weeks of monitoring the diversity of bat and bird species (when those results were compared with other NYC green roofs, it was discovered that the Kingsland roof tops were home to a comparatively diverse community of birds and bats.)

GCEF funding was used to enhance the Kingsland Wildflowers’ website and social media platforms, increasing community awareness of the project and its offerings, and also to develop a strategic plan to sustain the green roof and its related programming after GCEF funding ended.

In 2018, through another competitive process, NYC Audubon in partnership with NCA, received a $99,557 GCEF grant to expand the green roof, build an educational garden, and install a green wall for wildlife monitoring. These enhancements provided more green space for the community and more opportunities for hands-on outdoor learning experiences. GCEF also funded the creation of a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum about green roofs used to support educational programs at the site and distributed to Greenpoint Eco-School partners as well as other local green infrastructure educators and schoolteachers.

The overwhelming success of this project inspired the development of additional green roofs in Greenpoint. In January 2019, State Assembly member Joe Lentol announced a $1.5 million New York State grant to Broadway Stages and its partner, Alive Structures, for the creation of green roofs – totaling 1,4 acres – on three additional sound stage locations in Greenpoint.

In 2020,NCA and NYC Audubon received a GCEF grant of $18,590 to purchase equipment to improve the community space, host three environmental education events and a mid-summer festival at Kingsland Wildflowers in 2021. The events are intended to provide community members with more hands-on education about native plants, green roofs, and their ecological importance, as well as to celebrate the roof’s contribution to Greenpoint’s environment and community.

For more information about this project, visit the Kingsland Wildflowers’ website: KingslandWildflowers.com

Above: Photos 1 and 2 by Andrew Mass. Photo 6 by Niki Jackson.

• Removed impervious rooftop surface; and designed and installed a 21,711-square-foot intensive green roof, which, among its many environmental benefits, prevents approximately 198,000 gallons of stormwater runoff annually
• Designed and installed an additional 2,014 square feet of green roof as an “education garden,” which prevents approximately 89,000 gallons of stormwater runoff annually and features a green wall, and a model explaining the design of green-roofs
• Used a total of 84,414 plants and 54 pounds of plant seeds in order to green the roofs
• Conducted 25 weeks of bat and bird monitoring for species diversity, revealing a comparatively diverse community at the Kingsland locations
• Gave 56 green infrastructure tours, which educated over 1,000 participants about the benefits of green roofs
• Held a total of 48 on-site conferences, festivals, and workshops, hosting over 3,867 people
• Created the “Kingsland Wildflowers Green Roof Teacher’s Guide,” which was distributed to all Greenpoint Eco-School teachers
• Held 15 school visits during the 2018-2019 academic year
• Provided training for a total of 44 educators at the annual “Trout in Classroom” (an environmental education program) conferences from 2017-2019
• Developed a sustainable maintenance plan for the roof that includes working with a local workforce of 25 trained volunteers
• Developed a strategic plan for sustaining the roof and its programs
• Inspired the creation of 3 additional industrial green roofs at other Greenpoint locations
• Provided “green-collar” job training in green roof installation and maintenance to 25 volunteers
• Purchased equipment for the community space, and hosted 3 environmental education events attended by 60 local residents and a mid-summer festival event attended by approximately 800 people in 2021

• Kingsland Wildflowers: Green Roof Teacher’s Guide

How a Rooftop Meadow of Bees and Butterflies Shows N.Y.C.’s Future (New York Times, October 26, 2019)

In Greenpoint, new waterfront parks will transform the Newtown Creek (Curbed New York, August 22, 2019)

While Congress Stalls, Some Organizations Take a Stand Against Climate Change (Thrive Global, August 7, 2019)

Lentol announces $1.5 million grant for 1.4 acre green roof (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 24, 2019)

Hundreds attend annual Kingsland Wildflowers Festival (Greenpoint Star, September 26, 2018)

Greenroofs.com’s Project of the Week: July 16, 2018 (Greenroofs.com, July 17, 2018)

Plant People: Five ecoartists relandscape our concrete jungle (The Cut, June 25, 2018)

Kingsland Wildflowers: One Step Ahead to Sustainability (Greenpoint Star, January 10, 2018)

Brooklyn’s Little-Known Kingsland Wildflowers Is a Rooftop Oasis for NYC Wildlife (Untapped Cities, January 2, 2018)

Kingsland Wildflowers (Atlas Obscura, November 23, 2017)

A rooftop urban oasis springs to life in a polluted NYC neighborhood (Inhabitat, August 25, 2017)

Newtown Creek Wildflower Roof (Open House New York, October 5, 2016)

Kingsland Wildflower Festival offers first look at new Greenpoint rooftop garden (Brooklyn Reporter, September 26, 2016)

Come to Brooklyn on Sept 24 for the Kingsland Wildflower Festival and the Grand Opening of a Green Rooftop! (Greenroofs.com, September 19, 2016)

Greenpoint rooftop is seeing some real green (Brooklyn Reporter, September 13, 2016)

This roof wants to bring butterflies and birds to the toxic sludge (Technical.ly Brooklyn, August 31, 2016)

Wildflower Roof to Bring Birds and Butterflies to Industrial Greenpoint (DNA info, August 26, 2016)