The Somerville Community Growing Center now sits on a portion of the site that used to be Southern Junior High School. When the school was torn down in 1991, there was considerable local debate over the use of the site. Although plans were drawn up for affordable housing units, the economy precluded progress on this front. At the same time, the need for more open space was identified as a priority to balance the density of Somerville. This potential use was considered for the school site.

Concurrently, several Somerville city staff members and leaders of city social service and youth agencies established the Somerville Pride Working Committee (SPWC), with the support of Planning Director, Brandon Wilson. This group worked together on projects to improve the image and appearance of Somerville. As he quickly passed through a SPWC meeting one spring day in 1993, Mayor Michael Capuano offered the SPWC the use of the upper ¼ acre plot, previously occupied by the Junior High School, as a community garden site. The lower field was being targeted to support school athletic activities.

Within a week, a proposal was created by SPWC members Lisa Brukilacchio, Jeff Chelgren and Anthony Sanchez for the available site to be transformed into an educational garden, a new kind of community-based garden. The full SPWC approved the general proposal and outreach began. Jeff, who worked for the city as a landscape designer and urban planner, drew up draft plans that were used to recruit donations of materials. City residents, schools and service agencies were recruited to get involved in specifying plans for development and usage of the garden. It was at this phase that the intent for the garden to serve an educational function for the children and residents of Somerville became a key focus; this was an issue that everyone could support.

Community meetings were held to further develop plans for the garden; Mayor Capuano was personally involved in these meetings. As Somerville was known for having one of the highest per capita artist populations in the state and the Arts Council Director, Cecily Miller, was on the SPWC, it was intended that artists would be involved in the design of the space. A group of local artists and neighbors held an all-day charrette, which resulted in a working design plan. The name of "Somerville Community Growing Center" was selected.

The next step was to begin building the garden. A series of community workdays drew numerous volunteer groups such as the Somerville Youth Program, Eagle Eye Institute, SERV, Boys and Girls Club, Conservation Commission and neighbors. There was a lot of work to be done given that the site began as a roughly graded sand pit. Volunteers installed retaining walls to secure the site's 20' slope for winter and the physical form of the garden began to take shape.

That winter, 1994, SPWC members began visiting different agencies to talk about the potential benefits of involvement with the Growing Center for each of the agencies and the populations that they served. These collaborations took the idea of public/private partnerships to a new level in Somerville. At the time, this was a unique collaboration bringing together a broad based group of agencies recruited to become involved in a multifaceted project that was organized around a place rather than an issue.

In the spring of 1994 construction continued; the first fruit and nut trees were planted with Earthworks and the lawn was rolled out during a neighborhood work day. Paths were built and the stones were laid for the amphitheater with help from City Year and local business. Artist Marty Cain and students of the Somerville High Vocational Tech program designed and built the labyrinth. Walnut Street Center began the first gardening program. The Cummings School began training teachers to utilize outdoor spaces with their class planning. The Growing Center was now ready to be used for programming and events.

1996 brought a "Water in the City" design competition to build the use of water into the garden. Within the next few years, a fishpond and stream were built and an additional solar powered fountain was installed in the upper garden. The high school built a small barn. Since then, the garden has continued to grow through the dedication and enthusiasm of its volunteers. One of the remarkable things about the Growing Center is how much has been crammed into such a small space. Yet density is a key aspect of Somerville; that the wildness of the city can flourish even in a small space is an echo of the developed land of the surrounding landscape and the character of the community.

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