Marsha P. Johnson State Park, located on the Brooklyn waterfront, serves as a tribute to the LGBTQ+ activist, drag performer, and early advocate for transgender rights. Designed as an inclusive public space, the park’s development involved a broad outreach effort led by the landscape architecture firm, Starr Whitehouse, engaging local communities with diverse perspectives and priorities. This process included discussions with neighborhood groups, Johnson’s family, State Parks staff, frequent visitors, local vendors, and transgender leaders of color.
Through a series of workshops, mobile engagements, and town halls totaling forty-eight hours, horticulture emerged as a unifying element for the park’s two primary stakeholder groups—LGBTQ+ advocates honoring Johnson’s legacy and local residents seeking a natural, open space. The park’s landscape draws inspiration from the fresh flowers Johnson often wore in her hair, shaping the design of flexible green spaces. A floral gateway marks the entrance, leading to a Kentucky Coffee Tree allée and vibrant rain gardens surrounding open lawns.
Interpretive panels, created by a team of transgender leaders of color, provide historical context about Johnson and broader transgender identity issues. At the park’s final overlook, a mosaic installation offers visitors a space for reflection on Johnson’s life and the ongoing struggles faced by transgender individuals. The park’s design represents an effort to balance historical commemoration with the practical needs of the surrounding community.
