8th annual Houses and Gardens of Brookland Tour – Brookland Goes Mod!

The 8th annual Houses and Gardens of Brookland Tour, Sponsored by The Greater Brookland Garden Club (GBGC), will take place on Sunday 1 June 2008 from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. Homes, featuring a variety of architecture and garden designs will be open to visitors.

Unique to Brookland, the neighborhood contains a number of Modern homes interspersed within the originally all Victorian community. The 2008 event will feature a few of these gems. Modern homes in Brookland are not a new phenomenon, but have been a constant element since the Mid 1900s when African American architects began building homes in the International Style – a house by Hilliard Robinson will be featured on the tour. In addition, several newly built Modern designs/additions will also be on the tour. The traditional older homes on the tour provide for a marvelous contrast both in architectural style and in how the gardens are implemented. Homeowners and Garden Club docents will be available at each property to provide details and answer questions.

The event will be held rain or shine. All profits from the Houses and Gardens of Brookland tour will be used for maintenance of community “pocket gardens” and street tree plantings

.”What began as a ritual of monthly garden parties among neighbors has evolved into a major cultural event to share the beauty of our community, to demonstrate opportunities for gardening in unique spaces large and small and to raise funds to support our local pocket parks,” explained Jeff Wilson, director of the GBGC. “By contrasting this year’s Modern focus to the more traditional Colonial, Craftsman, Cottage, Queen Anne and Victorian styles, this event will present a marvelous cross section of the Brookland neighborhood’s gardens and houses.”

Tickets are $12.00 pre-event and $15 the day of the tour. Tickets can be purchased at Petals, Ribbons & Beyond, at 3906 12th Street between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 6:30p.m. Monday through Friday and 10:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. Saturday. Tickets will be on sale at the store on Sunday, June 1st from 10:00a.m. to 3:00p.m..

“The tour reflects the Brookland neighborhood’s approach to gardening: not a solo past time, but a social event,” says Don Padou tour coordinator.

The GBGC, a completely volunteer run entity, was established in 1998. In addition to the annual Houses and Gardens tours, the Garden Club holds monthly meetings and educational sessions, hosts plant sales, coordinates municipal plants of trees and flowers, and maintains several pocket parks along the 12th Street corridor for the benefit of all. Since the tour began in 2000, over 50 houses and gardens have been highlighted.