Honor the Legacy. Protect the Land. Keep Bed-Stuy in Community Hands.

🔥 URGENT: Bed-Stuy’s Historic Dr. Josephine English Mansion Is at Risk of Being Lost

A court-ordered sale has put 375 Stuyvesant Avenue—the historic mansion founded by Dr. Josephine English, one of the first Black female gynecologists in the United States—on the open market.

Developers have already submitted offers.

If we do not act now, this irreplaceable cultural asset will be sold to the highest bidder and converted for private profit.

We have a narrow window to save it.

💛 Why This Place Matters

For decades, 375 Stuyvesant was more than a building.
It was a home for the neighborhood.

Dr. English opened the mansion’s doors to:

• local artists and performers

• community groups and civic meetings

• senior programs and health services

• youth programming

• celebrations, healing, and gathering

• small Black-owned businesses finding their first foothold

This space holds the memories, creativity, and ancestral dignity of Bed-Stuy.

Losing it would mean losing a chapter of Brooklyn’s Black history that can never be replaced.

🚨 The Threat

A judge has ordered the immediate sale of the property.
Without community intervention, 375 Stuyvesant will likely become:

• a luxury redevelopment

• a private event venue

• a speculative real estate asset

All of which erase the legacy Dr. English built for us.

🌱 Our Solution: Put the Mansion Into the BLAC Land Trust

GrowHouse founded the BLAC Land Trust, a 501(c)(3), to secure Black land, protect cultural spaces, and build community-owned futures.

Putting 375 Stuyvesant into the Land Trust will:

• permanently protect the building from speculation

• ensure community governance and collective ownership

• preserve Dr. English’s legacy

• restore the mansion as a cultural, arts, and wellness hub

• create space for youth leadership, creative economy jobs, and intergenerational programs

This is the only pathway to guarantee the building remains community-owned forever.

📣 What This Campaign Supports

Your contribution builds the Community Acquisition Fund that will allow the BLAC Land Trust to compete immediately with speculative buyers.

Funds raised will go toward:

• down payment + acquisition costs

• legal fees + due diligence

• immediate stabilization needs for the building

• community planning sessions for future use

This is a community buyback—an act of historic preservation, land justice, and collective power.