Back in 1989 a group of nine neighborhood residents came together to design and fundraise for a “Welcome Sign” for the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood. The first Williamson-Marquette sign and garden had recently been installed near the Gateway building, and we decided that they had a good idea there. The location for us was obvious: the Johnson-Gorham split was perfect for catching the attention of those entering the neighborhood in that busy transit corridor on their way downtown.
Fortunately, it was also city-owned property, connected to the Tenney Park Apartments, a project of the Community Development Authority (CDA). On top of that, there was a strategically placed mound, created out of dirt extracted for the project and turned into an earthen berm covered with grass. Our design incorporated this mound, using it to display shrubs and flowers on varying levels, with the sign as a focal point on top of the mound.
Brian McCormick’s landscape design included a cluster of low-lying junipers in front of the sign with perennials and bulbs in front of them. Several wild cranberry bushes (viburnum) and a single Japanese tree lilac were placed across the back of the sign and mound. Perennial plants were solicited from neighborhood gardens, and there was certainly no shortage of those to install.
A graphics-designing relative of Janet Weber-Kasdorf was kind enough to donate the design for the sign itself, and a quick fundraising campaign came up with personal donations from our neighbors for the full $500 cost of the project.
Over the years, the Tenney-Lapham Welcome Garden has benefited from the careful attention of Dan Sage, Bob Shaw, Jim Sturm, and Mary Jo Schiavoni. Bulbs and perennials have been replenished, and shrubs have been trimmed to wrap around and not block the sign.
This year, as the sign was showing more and more signs of wear, we decided to apply for one of the city’s new Community Enhancement Program (CEP) grants to fund an updated sign replacement. Graphics which were appropriate to the era of our neighborhood’s development had been created by Brian McCormick for our 1995 Neighborhood Plan book (see drawing) and applied to promotional brochures and street banners in the East Johnson business district. The sign frame is based on the standard door and window trim in Arts & Crafts design houses.
A budget of $1,000 was set for this project. The TLNA Council voted unanimously in January to provide the one-half matching funds required of all CEP grants from the city, and the City Council voted to approve our grant from them in May. The sign is currently in preparation by Madison Sign Lettering on the east side, and the installation should occur sometime this fall. So, keep your eyes open for it!
-Rob Latousek
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