Green Civics: The Early Years of the St. Albans Place Garden Club

(Above) St. Albans Street (1941) Housing Association Records of the Delaware Valley. Temple University Libraries. Special Collections Research Center. (Below) “St. Albans St. Residents Beautify Community Garden. Phyllis Lewis, Center, Mrs. Frank Okamoto and Mrs. Edna Arthur, Right, Tend Flowers." News article titled “City Beautiful” Project Spurs Neighborhood Interest. Philadelphia Inquirer, 5 July 1949

“A striking example of what neighborhood people may achieve in the “Philadelphia Beautiful” movement has long been displayed in the South Philadelphia block known as St. Albans place.” – Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 April 1949

The St. Albans Place Garden Club was founded in 1941 by Claudine Marshall Okamoto (1896-1972) to care for the distinctive central garden plot shared by the 2300 block of St. Albans Place neighbors. Early club members included longtime president Thomas Robert Lewis (1905-1963), Naomi Jackson Pressley (1907-1992), Virginia Curtis Robinson (1910-1998), James Powell and Magistrate William A. Byrd (1908-1950). Newspaper coverage of the St. Albans Place Garden Club began eight years after its founding, when the first article appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer titled “City Beautiful Project Spurs Neighborhood Interest” in 1949.

The Club participated in many of the city-sponsored neighborhood rehabilitation initiatives beginning with the two-year “Philadelphia Beautiful” project (1949-1951) and continuing into the 1950s and 1960s with “Clean-up, Paint-up, Fix-up” (1952-1958) and the “Philadelphia More Beautiful” (1963-1969) campaigns, however, as a neighborhood grassroots civic organization, the strength and longevity of the St. Albans Place Garden Club did not depend on the vicissitudes of outside sponsorship, funding or interest.

“Here in St. Albans place we are fully in accord with the Philadelphia Beautiful movement designed to transform vacant lots which are eyesores into beautiful flower plots such as we have here,” said [Thomas R.] Lewis. The Philadelphia Board of Public Education extension division, Emergency Aid and the Philadelphia Inquirer are co-sponsors of the project.

“Like all clubs our garden club has problems. First, we would be glad to have an expert flower gardener talk to our club soon. We do not pretend to be experts and are open to advice. Our dues are 25 cents per month and our treasury balance is not large. So, we would be glad to hear from volunteer workers.” – Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 April 1949

(Above) “Members of the St. Albans Place Garden Club recently gave a musical program at the Allen AME Church are (left to right) Mrs. Marguerite Diggs, Janice and Brenda Robins, Mrs. Edna Arthur, Mrs. Virginia Robinson, Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Irma Powell, Mrs. Susie Hogan, (second row) Mrs. Belle Robins, Mrs. Claudine Okamoto (the founder), William Edmonds, John Beckett, Mrs. Rideout, Hugh Robinson Jr., William Robinson, Harvey H. Walker, Thomas A. Lewis, Mrs. James Powell, Mrs. Mary Edmonds and Mrs. Smith.” Garden Club Sponsors Program. Philadelphia Tribune, 4 July 1950. (Center) St. Albans Place Annual Bazaar (1957). City of Philadelphia. Department of Records Archives (Below) St. Albans Place Annual Bazaar (1957). 2100 Block of Christian Street. Flower and Shrub Booth. City of Philadelphia. Department of Records Archives

The Philadelphia Tribune begins its regular coverage of the club’s activities on July 4, 1950 and follows its progress until about 1996. During the 1950s, the Club embarked on an ambitious program of club-sponsored civic meetings that included a discussion of fair employment practices and enforcement and collaboration with other clubs and associations to focus on city zoning laws. Club members served on various community and city-led committees for example the South Philadelphia Citizens Committee (1953-) and the Rittenhouse Community Council (1949-). In addition, individual members were active in the first decade of celebration planning for Philadelphia’s National Freedom Day events. Garden Club member and gifted musician, Margaret T. Rideout (1903-2000), a Freedom Day committee member for many years, performed for honoree Martin Luther King, Jr. at his February 1, 1959 luncheon.

Many annual neighborhood events originated with the Club, including the Lenten Tea, Holiday Tree Lighting in the St. Albans Place Garden, and the Annual Bazaar. The St. Albans Place Annual Bazaar was the most visible of the Club’s activities and served as a fundraiser to provide for the maintenance of the garden and other charitable endeavors.

“An all-day bazaar sponsored by the South Philadelphia Clean Block Campaign Committee will be held this Saturday in the 2300 block St. Albans pl., beginning at 10 a.m. The booth display will consist of articles ranging from antiques to flowers.

“Included among the 14 sponsoring and participating blocks are the 2000 block Annin st.; 2200 block Carpenter st.; 2000, 2200 and 2300 block Carpenter st.; 2100 and 2300 block Christian St.; and the 2100 block Catherine st.

“Members of the sponsoring groups are Theodore Evans, 2145 Catherine st., and Mesdames Carlton Richards of 2107 Christian st., Claudine Okamoto of 2313 St. Albans pl., and Lavenia McNeil of 2223 Carpenter st.” – Clean Block Group to Sponsor Bazaar. Philadelphia Tribune, 14 June 1955.

(Above) Members of the St. Albans Place Garden Club. (1966). City of Philadelphia. Department of Records Archives (Center) Two news clippings. Philadelphia Inquirer (10 June 1966), Philadelphia Tribune (18 June 1966). (Below) St. Albans Place Garden (1966). City of Philadelphia. Department of Records Archives.

“St. Albans Place Garden Club was selected by the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to use flowers from their community garden to illustrate what flowers can do to enhance the appearance of a home during the Open House Day opening ceremonies on Monday, Oct. 1. The program was an event in the City’s “Self Help House” at 1229 Girard ave., and took place at 2:30 p.m.

“Members of the St. Albans Committee were Mrs. William Edmonds, Mrs. James Powell, Mrs. Claudine M. Okamoto, Mrs. Marguerite Diggs and Miss Mary M. Suter. The committee was assisted by the entire 2300 block of St. Albans Place.” – Philadelphia Tribune, 2 October 1962

By 1966, St. Albans Place was described by the Philadelphia Tribune as the “Pioneer Clean Block” and was scheduled to be one of the three Philadelphia gardens to be visited by Lady Bird Johnson in a day long tribute to Philadelphia’s leadership in urban beautification.

“While clean block committees have sprung up all over the city within the last few years, the Saint Albans Place Garden Club organized for this purpose some 22 years ago.

“St. Albans Place on which Mrs. [Claudine] Okamoto lives at 2313 Saint Albans is a one block street of row homes, owner occupied, with a lovely garden of roses and other flowers running through the center of the street.” 

The First Lady's walking tour of the St. Albans Place garden was not to be …

“Hundreds of cheering children and adults braved a heavy downpour Friday to greet “Lady Bird” Johnson whose expressed desire to visit the 2300 block of St. Albans Place, one of the most beautiful blocks, if not “the” most, was hampered by heavy rainfall at the time she arrived.

“Mrs. Claudine Okamoto, chairman of the South Philadelphia Clean Block Committee and complaint chairman of the Rittenhouse Community Council, told the Tribune that “there was a great disappointment that she could not actually come through the block because of the deluge, but we are glad that she thought enough of us to want to see what we are trying to do to help keep America beautiful.”

"Mrs. Johnson was in town to participate in the Society Hill Section of Philadelphia in keeping with her program of beautifying America.

"It is believed to have been at the suggestion of Mrs. Orville Freeman, wife of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, who saw the block three weeks ago, that Mrs. Johnson wanted to see for herself.” – Rain Keeps Mrs. LBJ From Beautiful City Block. Philadelphia Tribune, 18 June 1966

The 2300 block of St. Albans Street was placed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1969.

(Above) St. Albans Place District. Map of the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. (Center) In Memoriam. Thomas Robert Lewis. Newclipping. Philadelphia Tribune. 16 July 1963 (Below) 2300 Block of St. Albans Street (2011). Screenshot. Google Street View.