More than forty years ago the city invited building owners to buy and install trees and as a very proud new owner, I planted the only variety then officially approved, an English Plane. The proliferation of citizen tree planting gave rise to the block associations and I leaned over the fence and offered to my neighbor John McAlister, “You know what we ought to do? We ought to form a block association.” John said yes and as an editor at Newsweek and as an old time New England newspaper man, he started the Charles Street Block Association newspaper when you had to paste up copy and make printing plates.
We started to plant and plant until we had over 100 trees but we had no idea of what we were doing and no good advice from the city. We put expensive tall tree guards around the trunk to prevent a berserk cab from felling them but the trees would grow into the tree guards because nobody told us they should be removed.
Later the city began to experiment with different varieties and we had some disasters. Here on Charles Street we have a tree which has massive but horizontally pushing roots and it just lifted the 150 year old slate side walk slabs as if they were potato chips.
Maybe 20 years ago we started a block association Spring Planting and then a fall bulb planting but even a casual eye is aware of the hodgepodge of uncoordinated planting. Oh wow, just imagine if you had a professional park designer living on your block? That is what happened on 11th Street when George Vellonakis moved in and began to suggest a single sweeping plan for tree rails and seasonal planting. I feel this is so important we have given George a place to tell the story (page 19) and despite the consummate skills he offered his block, he had a few a who knew how to do it better. This is the West Village after all.
OH, the joke back then for block associations was: After you plant the trees what?
See more on Tree Pits by George Vellonakis on page 19.
