SARPA's Position on the House of Hope Church Garden

Many local residents have contacted us with regards to the front yard garden at the House of Hope Church — and particularly its fencing. Please note that, since the church chose not to contact SARPA directly regarding their plans, we were not able to be directly involved with the process, which might have saved everyone a lot of headaches. Regardless, here is the SARPA board's official position, as taken in June 2011, which is in favor of the garden but not the fence:

13 July, 2011

Amy Spong
Heritage Preservation Specialist
City of Saint Paul
25 Fourth Street West, Suite 1400
Saint Paul, MN 55102



Dear Amy,

I am writing this letter to clarify SARPA’s position on the new front-yard garden at House of Hope Church, located at 797 Summit Avenue.

House of Hope never formally or informally solicited SARPA’s position on the garden. However, one of our members brought it to our attention following an article on the garden in the Pioneer Press. SARPA never took a formal position on the garden, but in an exchange of emails regarding the plan, board members were generally personally in favor of the garden. Reasons cited were its innovative use, its addition to the diverse gardens of Summit, and most of all, the fact that it was reversible and non-invasive. Some members contacted the church directly to indicate their support, and the garden was part of the year’s Garden Stroll.

Board members, however, were completely unaware of the corral-style fence, which took us by surprise. We feel that no one knew that the fence was part of the plan, and find it extremely historically inappropriate.

At our June board meeting, the SARPA board unanimously passed the following:

That:
• Although we are in favor of the front-yard garden located at House of Hope,
• We are unanimously opposed to the corral-style fence surrounding the garden. We believe it historically inappropriate, and strongly doubt that it would be allowed in any other (private or public) front yard along Summit Avenue.
• We request that the HPC reverse its approval of the fence, and that its is immediately removed.
• We request that any fence put in its place undergoes thorough HPC design review, and that it is historically appropriate. Suggestions include wrought iron (or similar), or appropriate wood pickets, perhaps with plant screenings.
• If, for whatever reason, an approved historic fence is not possible, we request that the garden is either unfenced or relocated.

We appreciate the working relationship that SARPA has with the city’s HPC, and hope that this relationship and communication only improves!

Sincerely,


Bethany Gladhill
SARPA President