Hansberry Garden & Nature Center

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization invested in our community through organic gardening, the City Harvest Program of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and educational programs for children and adults.

The history of HGNC began in 1981 with a demonstration garden at 5150 Wayne Avenue under a federal grant through Neighbors Community Program.

In the 1990s the city razed the house at 5148 Wayne Avenue, making the garden at 5150 impossible to use. Former garden members and neighbors joined in 2001 to develop a vision of a community garden and nature center that would serve the Germantown community. In 2002, the Hansberry Garden & Nature Center Steering Committee was formed and began clearing the land, organizing, and fundraising.

Later that year, Philadelphia Green put up a fence, and raised beds were built with funds from Community Gardens Project. The Hansberry Garden & Nature Center, Inc. became designated a 501(c)(3) organization under federal law in July of 2004. In 2008, 5148 Wayne Avenue was purchased by HGNC, and the city recently turned over the deed to 5148.