Courtyard Improvement: Capital One Listens To Carroll Gardens Community

May 2012.  From this...

this in August 2012.

Before and...

after.

The deep courtyards in Carroll Gardens are what makes this Brooklyn neighborhood pretty unique. Most of them are lovingly planted and taken care of by their owners. Some of them, however, have been totally neglected like the rather unsightly 'blacktop' yard attached to Capital One at 420 Court Street at the corner of Second Place. Several months ago, Jordan, one of my readers pointed this out to me.  In an email, he wrote:

"It is such a shame that they just do the cheapest, ugliest thing possible with that garden space rather than beautify it. To me it shows a disregard and disrespect for the neighborhood. I kind of doubt that your average Capital One branch in the suburbs doesn't have even the most basic landscaping outside of it. I did call them a few months ago and spoke to a manager and while the conversation didn't go anywhere (it's up to corporate, no one's ever even suggested that, etc.)Getting them to do something with the garden would be a major win for everyone."

I couldn't have agreed more, so I took a few photos of the paved-over courtyard and in May, I posted them on PMFA.
And shortly afterwards, Capital One did something about it.  Apparently, Corporate heard about the complaints. A few weeks ago, the blacktop was taken out, fresh earth and plants put in, and now that corner looks beautiful.

Well done, Capital One. And my sincerest thanks goes out to Jordan, who took the initiative to bring it to their attention.  The newly planted courtyard in now worthy of the neighborhood and something we can all be proud of.

Read More

Capital One's Blacktop Courtyard Ugliest In Carroll Gardens?

Carroll Gardeners take immense pride in the neighborhood's signature courtyards. They have, after all, given the neighborhood its name.   Most of these front gardens are lovingly planted and bloom from spring to fall.  There are a few, however, that have been totally neglected.  As one reader pointed out to me, one of those is the 'blacktop' yard attached to Capital One at 420 Court Street at the corner of Second Place.  He writes:

To your knowledge, has anyone tried to get Capital One's blacktop garden? It is such a shame that they just do the cheapest, ugliest thing possible with that garden space rather than beautify it. To me it shows a disregard and disrespect for the neighborhood. I kind of doubt that your average Capital One branch in the suburbs doesn't have even the most basic landscaping outside of it.   I did call them a few months ago and spoke to a manager and while the conversation didn't go anywhere (it's up to corporate, no one's ever even suggested that, etc.)Getting them to do something with the garden would be a major win for everyone

To be fair, the yard has looked like this for many years now, even when this was a branch of Home Federal Savings Bank and later, Northfork Bank.
But I agree.  The yard is truly an eye sore and isn't even kept particularly clean.  A few plants would go a long way to making this corner look just a bit nicer.
How about it, Capital One?

Read More