The historic Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn will soon be home to a new Education and Welcome center at 749 Fifth Avenue, where construction has already broken ground. Located in Park Slope along the cemetery’s western boundary, the 22,000-square-foot center will feature a permanent collection of photographs and artifacts, flexible learning spaces, Green-Wood’s new Center for Research, staff offices, and event space for local community organizations.
Proposals for the Education and Welcome Center were first revealed in 2021, when Green-Wood Cemetery and Architecture Research Office (ARO) submitted plans to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission for review. The scope of work included restoration and conversion of the Weir Greenhouse, a landmarked Victorian building at 749 Fifth Avenue, and the construction of a two-story L-shaped building surrounding the greenhouse.
The greenhouse will retain its historic signage, domed roofs, and ornamental windows. The new building will feature a copper roof, a glazed terracotta façade, bluestone brick at its base, and bronze window mullions.
Rendering of the Green-Wood Cemetery Education and Welcome Center entrance at 749 Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn
Interior rendering of the Green-Wood Cemetery Education and Welcome Center at 749 Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn
“The Green-Wood Cemetery is a unique urban oasis and a treasure trove of historical significance,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. “The new Education and Welcome Center will help to unlock that treasure for visitors and further reinforce Green-Wood’s role as an iconic New York cultural institution. The preservation of this landmark is crucial to our understanding of the past, our appreciation of the present, and our vision for the future.”
Construction of the new facility is supported by $4.1 million in funding from New York State, including $2 million from the New York State Council on the Arts, $1.5 million from Empire State Development, and $600,000 from the State legislature.
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Welcome to Eternity.
Looks good. Get it done. The greenhouse has been shrouded in sidewalk scaffolding for a decade.
I often wondered about Green-wood running out of space. In the years between my visits, I noticed roads being filled in for lawns.
The signs on the old Weir greenhouse have for years said construction would be started and finished by 2015.Earlier this year I asked in the G-W office about when it would be completed, and no one knew a thing. So don’t hold your breath about this.
Beautiful and worthy project. Fingers crossed that it actually happens!