Cornwall Corridor Community Project – a New Vision for West MorningSide
Rendering of the Cornwall Corridor Community Project. Image courtesy of Charon and Gaston Nogues
I lived in Detroit in the mid-1980’s before moving to East Los Angeles. When I moved back here in 2017, I fell in love with MorningSide, and so did my husband Gaston. We were both active in the arts community in LA. He’s an artist who worked with largescale sculptural installations, and I have experience in community building through a non-profit cultural arts center. We decided to put together our skills and experience to serve our adopted community.
Over the next year, we aim to collaborate with other residents and organizations to build a much-needed creative space for community gathering and contemplation, bringing together art, construction, education, horticulture, and gardening to elevate our neighborhood.
A key feature of this project is a three-block long planting of corn and perennial native wildflowers on the berms of Cornwall Street between Somerset St. and Barham St. - a literal “Corn Wall on Cornwall”. Each Detroit Land Bank lot that runs along Cornwall on both sides will be part of the project.
The idea for the corn wall came from a couple of sources. One was a conversation with our Beaconsfield neighbor Gino. He drove by one day with his little Jack Russel when I was out in the garden. Gino mentioned that he had planned on planting a corn gate around his boats and various vehicles to conceal them. He offered me the corn seed because he felt like he was never going to get to it, so he planted the seed of the idea in me.
I was also inspired by Not A Cornfield, a living sculpture in the form of a cornfield created by LA artist Lauren Bon.
The removal of sod along the curbside on Cornwall St. Image courtesy of Charon and Gaston Nogues
We planted the early corn a wee bit late this year, but the corn has sprouted, and we are giving it tender loving care. The Corn Wall will be a little sparse and wimpy this year, as the soil needs to be regenerated, and that takes time. We pulled out and sifted a lot of nasty stuff out of the Cornwall berms this spring and summer. Cleaning up the decades of neglect involves removing many layers of trash and broken glass. It’s a big job with lots of surprises; we’ve even discovered curbs and sewer drains below the street sod.
One of the amazing things about corn, though, is that it helps to detoxify the soil. By next spring, soil testing will be completed, and we’ll be starting earlier, planting in heavily mulched, well prepped soil. Next fall we’ll host a harvest celebration and serve up our non-GMO corn to the community. And look forward to finding your way through a corn maze we’ll be planting on Barham at Cornwall!
Gaston aims to run a front-end loader borrowed from Motor City Grounds Crew up and down Cornwall and surrounding sidewalks for the sake of safety and curb appeal. We are determined to slow down speeders and stop trash dumpers with diligent surveillance, homemade signs made by our kids, and awe-inspiring beauty.
Other projects we envision for the next year or so include a:
Movie projection screen and activity area at 4800 Nottingham
“Municipal Bat Roost” to help with the mosquitos
“Pollinator Queendom” home for bees with hives and egg nesting boxes
“Bird Metropolis” to provide nesting opportunities and food to native birds
“Mushroom Cultivation House” built out of recycled glass bottles
Fruit trees that include native paw paws - the “Michigan banana”
A large greenhouse and outdoor planter beds with medicinal herbs and more
A stress relieving multi-age swing-set we call “The Rejuvenator”
Shaded areas with picnic tables and barbecue pits for family gatherings
This entire project is a collaboration with Keep Growing Detroit, which has furnished seedlings, seeds and so much support each season; self-healing wisdom and learning from the incredible Lottie Spady of Earthseed Detroit; MorningSide’s new Brilliant Detroit house at 5050 Balfour; Motor City Grounds Crew; East Warren Tool Library; the Detroit Land Bank Authority, and our beloved neighbors.
We wish to demonstrate how we can create an inclusive heavenly paradise here in Detroit for very little money and a whole lot of love and sweat equity. How lucky we are!
Volunteers are more than welcome. Get in on the ground floor of an exciting MorningSide revitalization project! Drop by at 4706 Nottingham Rd. at Cornwall and say hi, or give me a call at (562) 895-9399.
Even if you don’t have a lot of time to volunteer, if you have any colorful or interesting glass bottles, I’d love to have them for the mushroom cultivation house I’m building.
Rendering of the Faux Bois/Stick Work fencing. Image courtesy of Charon and Gaston Nogues
