2024 Gala Honorees

Internationally renowned landscape architecture firm Field Operations has elevated the standard for public waterfront access, flood resiliency and habitat restoration in North Brooklyn with their innovative design approach to the Greenpoint/Williamsburg waterfront, from Domino Park to Greenpoint Landing; more recently, spanning a new waterfront park at 1 Java Street and an award-winning concept for Ericsson Playground that will support the eco-focused mission and programs at Middle School 126. 

Brooklyn-based Alive Structures specializes in designing and building ecological gardens and green roofs, most notably the 25,000 square foot Kingsland Wildflowers rooftop garden in Greenpoint, and most recently, a native plant rooftop and streetscape for Brooklyn Brewery’s new Williamsburg headquarters at 1 Wythe Ave. The Brewery’s creation of new public space expands an emerging green corridor that connects McCarren and Bushwick Inlet Parks through dedicated pedestrian spaces like Banker’s Anchor. 

“Innovative landscape design through rewilding is central to our vision for North Brooklyn,” said NBK Parks Executive Director Katie Denny Horowitz. “As we celebrated our 20th anniversary last year, we reflected on our founding and achievements since 2003. This fall, we’re looking to the future by honoring two visionaries who designed the transformation of our district’s complex public spaces — from our industrial waterfront to rooftops and streetscapes. With ‘Rewild North Brooklyn,’ we’re putting their framework for restoring ecosystems and enhancing biodiversity into our own daily practice as part of a crucial strategy for a sustainable future.” 

2024 Eco Warriors 

The 2024 Fall Gala will also celebrate three “Eco Warrior” awardees for inspiring and supporting the horticultural initiatives at NBK Parks, as well as a burgeoning community of native plant gardeners.

As the former director of Brooklyn Bridge Park, Rebecca McMackin helped pioneer ecological gardening and landscape management practices on NYC parkland and now influences how biodiversity is cultivated in urban spaces and beyond. Her social media, newsletters, writings, and lectures are an invaluable trove of information for ecologically-minded gardeners. 

Gowanus Canal Conservancy is an environmental nonprofit leading the revitalization of the Gowanus neighborhood through large-scale visioning, committed advocacy, and grassroots stewardship. Their mission-driven work takes place on the banks of a Superfund site — very much akin to Newtown Creek in North Brooklyn — and their Lowlands Nursery has set a successful precedent for the NBK Parks Native Nursery at Under the K Bridge Park. 

A truly out-of-the box store in a big box retail world, Crest Hardware will always be remembered for its 80 years of outstanding service to the Williamsburg community. As one of the very few local greenhouses to offer a native plant selection, Crest was an early champion of ecological gardening and a frequently tapped resource for the NBK Parks horticulture and operations teams. 

“Our ‘Rewild North Brooklyn’ initiative is a monumental undertaking,” said NBK Parks Director of Horticulture, Lisa Bloodgood. “We have an immense opportunity to create novel ecosystems in our green spaces by planting native species and witnessing how they flourish and evolve. Biodiversity at a local level truly matters and urban ecological restoration is possible when we do it together. Our 2024 Gala Eco Warriors have been profoundly influential in this collective process, not just in the spaces they directly touch, but in the ways that they’ve spread knowledge, resources, and sheer enthusiasm for native plant gardening.”

About the gala

The NBK Parks Fall Gala will take place on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, at Under the K Bridge Park (VIP Cocktails: 6:00PM; Gala: 7:00PM). Tickets go live on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. 

The gala will be held in the waterfront “Creekside” section of Under the K Bridge Park that abuts the Newtown Creek and has panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline. At night, the cathedral-like park space under the Kosciuszko Bridge is spectacularly illuminated by the glow of the bridge’s light show. The Gala’s proceeds will provide crucial funds to support the mission and work of NBK Parks. 

This year’s gala inspiration — Rewild North Brooklyn — evokes the untamed beauty of a native garden and the unstoppable creativity that defines rewilding.

Music for the 2024 Fall Gala will be curated by ReSolute, a preeminent tastemaker of the underground electronic music scene, introducing a glimpse of how Under the K Bridge Park has emerged as one of NYC’s top destinations for nightlife. ReSolute brings jazzy latin house to the party with a DJ from Nublu and a live band: Greg Paulus The Now. Brooklyn-based Paulus is a trumpet player, composer, producer, and vocalist who has toured internationally with artists such as Beirut and Matthew Dear, appeared on more than 100 records, and was honored with his band No Regular Play by The Young Patrons of Lincoln Center. 

The evening will feature local “farm to food truck” catering by ROAM food truck, which is preparing a custom menu of seasonal fare sourced from Hudson Valley farms. The bartenders are pouring cocktails inspired by Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Coneflower (Echinacea), and Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve); three flowering plants grown in the NBK Parks Native Nursery that are the signature of our Rewild North Brooklyn campaign. 

Of course, there will be a full selection of wine, beer and non-alcoholic libations. All food and beverages are included in gala admissions. 

About the honorees

FIELD OPERATIONS: With offices in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Shenzhen, and London, Field Operations is an award-winning studio of landscape architects committed to designing innovative public spaces that actively address the biggest issues of our time: climate, biodiversity, social equity, and inclusion. The firm’s renowned projects include the Highline (New York, NY), Domino Park (Brooklyn, NY), the Underline (Miami, FL), Presidio Tunnel Tops (San Francisco, CA), and Qianhai’s Guiwan Park (Shenzhen, Guangdong, China).

ALIVE STRUCTURES: Founded by Marni Majorelle, Alive Structures is a landscape design and build company specializing in green roofs and ecological gardens. By building large-scale green roofs in NYC’s industrial zones — including Kingsland Wildflowers run by Newtown Creek Alliance — Alive Structures creates green corridors that provide vital habitats for migratory birds and threatened pollinators, as well as green jobs by partnering with workforce development programs like The Fortune Society and The Hope Program. Majorelle studied Biology Conservation at Columbia and Horticulture and Landscape Design at Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. 

About the Eco Warriors

REBECCA MCMACKIN: An ecologically obsessed horticulturist and garden designer, Rebecca McMackin is the Arboretum Curator for Woodlawn Cemetery, managing one of the best tree collections in the state. She spent a decade as the Director of Horticulture of Brooklyn Bridge Park, where her team cultivated urban biodiversity and ethical management strategies that have influenced entire urban parks systems to adopt similar approaches. McMackin has been featured in the New York Times, on NPR and PBS, has given a TED talk (Let Your Garden Grow Wild), and recently completed the Loeb Fellowship at Harvard Graduate School of Design. 

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY: Gowanus Canal Conservancy is dedicated to facilitating the development of a resilient, vibrant, open space network centered on the Gowanus Canal through activating and empowering community stewardship of the Gowanus Watershed. Since 2006, the organization has been leading grassroots volunteer projects; educating students on environmental issues; and working with agencies, elected officials, and the community to advocate for, build, and maintain innovative green infrastructure around the Gowanus Canal. The conservancy also runs the Lowlands Nursery, a mission-driven nonprofit community nursery offering plants that are well-adapted to the urban conditions of Gowanus. 

CREST HARDWARE: A family-run business for two generations since it opened in 1962, Crest Hardware & Urban Garden Center will be remembered as an innovative retail space dedicated to serving the artists, hobbyists, gardeners, and home improvers of Williamsburg. Joseph Franquinha, who took over the shop from his father in 2004, shaped Crest into a community hub where customers could expect to encounter the store pets (Franklin the pig and Finlay the bird), art installations, pop-up events, and deeply knowledgeable staff. The store’s permanent closing, covered in the New York Times, is August 30, 2024. 

About the Sister Francis Kress Environmental Award

NBK Parks unveiled the first annual “Sister Francis Kress Environmental Award” in 2021 in honor of Sister Francis Gerard Kress (1914-1917), a beloved North Brooklyn figure and staunch environmental advocate whose work helped to implement the Clean Air and Clean Water Quality Acts and other environmental protection legislation for all Americans. Since then, NBK Parks has recognized eleven gala Honorees and

twenty-one “Eco Warrior” awardees for their role in shaping the future of our parks and open spaces.

About North Brooklyn Parks Alliance

Founded in 2003 and formerly known as Open Space Alliance, North Brooklyn Parks Alliance (NBK Parks) is NYC’s only district-wide parks conservancy, with a mandate to serve all of the parks and open spaces throughout Brooklyn Community Board 1 (Greenpoint / Williamsburg). We partner with city and state agencies, elected officials, and the community to provide services that directly improve the ecology and quality of life in our neighborhoods. Our mission is to create a vibrant, accessible, and equitable parks and open space system in North Brooklyn.