Early Days
It began with a question from neighbors with a not-so-beautiful view: “Can flowers and plants be added to the top of the Crowley Station Water Utility concrete decks?” Craig and Michelle Jolly asked Jim Skrentny (then Chair of First Settlement District of Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc.), who approached District 6 Alder Marsha Rummel, who ultimately connected Jim with Tom Heikkinen, General Manager of the Madison Water Utility. Tom assigned Madison Water Utility staff Joe Demorett and Gail Gawenda (both replaced by Amy Robb in 2013) to work with the First Settlement neighborhood group to explore ideas for improvement. The “Friends of Crowley Station” (FCS) group was formed in the summer of 2010. They collaborated with the Madison Water Utility on a number of improvements funded by a $10,000 Madison Water Utility budget allocation made possible thanks to Alder Rummel and District 4 Alder Mike Verveer (see timeline, above). The combined efforts of FCS and Madison Water Utility staff resulted in a more inviting space, which significantly increased the use of the Crowley Station platform.
Growing the Community Garden
Though much was done to improve the Crowley Station, the original request to beautify the concrete decks with plants remained unfulfilled. The challenge was finding volunteers to successfully maintain potted plants on the decks. In the summer of 2012, Alder Rummel put Jim Skrentny in touch with Jane Morris of the Downtown Community Gardens Group (DCGG). The Downtown Community Gardens Group played a pivotal role in starting the garden. The DCGG was founded in 2009 by two downtowners tired of bicycling to distant community gardens and taking up plots that could have been meeting the needs of gardeners closer by. Subsequently, DCGG talked to alders, city staff, and committees; gave presentations to community groups, walked downtown neighborhoods to share ideas and scout for sites; and attended the farmers market, gathering signatures and talking garden talk.
The Downtown Community Gardens Group members embraced using parts of the Crowley Station for garden space. In the fall of 2013, FCS partnered with DCGG, including Dana Olsen, Fratney Miller, and Danni Niles, to propose a community garden on the lower deck. The proposal dovetailed with Madison Water Utility’s desire for a poorly used public space to become a productive and beautiful addition to the neighborhood. The garden team received a second $10K Madison Water Utility budget allocation, thanks again to Alders Verveer and Rummel.
2014 was a flurry of work for the first Leadership Team and dedicated garden members. The handbook was written, policies were ironed out, and the design elements were given considerable thought to match the urban setting and preserve the views of the lake for residents and businesses. Special raised beds were made, and the garden took shape that year. The summer of 2014 was a short but productive first growing season.
Helping hands during the build weekend in the spring of 2014
On August 18, 2014, Crowley Station Community Garden held its grand opening party to thank the many volunteers who made the garden possible.
Friends of Crowley Station dissolved shortly after Jim ended his run as First Settlement neighborhood chair. The group had two goals remaining: Add one or more structures for shade (2024 Lakefront Porch redesign of Crowley Station), and add a ramp for Accessibility (completed in 2024).
The Original Configuration of the CSCG (roughly 2014-2024)
In the fall of 2014, a jazz band performed on the upper deck for an audience of nearly 100 seated on the lower deck as part of the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium’s ‘Strollin’ First Settlement’.
Recent Years
Beginning in 2024, the Crowley Station Community Garden site has been renamed the Crowley Station Community Garden at Lakefront Porch Park.
In 2024, the work of the Lakefront Porch Park committee and partners in the community and the City of Madison over several years culminated in creating a new urban pocket park on the Crowley Station platform. The Lakefront Porch Park transformed Crowley Station with a raised deck, new tables, seating, and umbrellas for shade. The elevation of the deck allows visitors to see Lake Monona over the railings that edge the Crowley Station platform. Ramps provide access to both levels of the platform. CSCG received new garden beds due to the generous efforts of the Lakefront Porch Committee. When the platform became the Lakefront Porch Park, the CSCG found itself located within the Lakefront Porch Park.
The Crowley Station Community Garden Continues to Grow!
The community gets stronger and stronger with each season as we welcome new members. Many members become strong leaders for other community gardens when they move to new neighborhoods or desire more garden space. A core group of dedicated downtown members ensure that Crowley Station Community Garden is an enduring feature of the neighborhood and works in tandem with the goals of our landowners, the Madison Water Utility and the City of Madison Parks.
Crowley Station Community Garden 