The Greenline Farm (opened June 21, 2015) is a 5000 sq. ft. crop production facility that occupies the first floor roof of the Bronzeville Cookin’TM culinary facility at 300-314 East 51st Street, adjacent to the CTA’s 51st Street Green Line platform. It produces a variety of crops including greens, tomatoes, sweet & hot peppers, herbs, and several pollinators.
The Greenline FarmTM lies at the center of an integrated food production, stormwater management, and education program. The Greenline Farm crop program is designed to provide Bronzeville Cookin’ culinary venues located in the spaces directly underneath with the highest quality fresh produce, while reusing waste from the facility in conjunction with the Bronzeville Community GardenTM composting initiative.
Crops and growing media absorb rainfall and thus reduce stormwater pressure on the South Side sewer system, thereby reducing incidence of basement flooding and the overflow of Chicago’s combined sewer system into Lake Michigan.
The Greenline FarmTM also plays a key role in the Bronzeville Cookin’TM educational program. It is an active agricultural training site for students, and it engages over 1000 daily CTA transit users with the possibilities of urban agriculture, while inspiring them with its unique urban vistas. It is also in the process of developing a site-wide initiative to create a comprehensive program articulating “green” economy opportunities.
The Greenline FarmTM can be accessed visually from the CTA platform and physically via the Nat King Cole Patio and Rooftop Deck of the Bronzeville Cookin’TM initiative. It is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
