Tiffany Commons

The Tiffany Commons are in many ways the Brick Works’ front door. They are the first gardens that many visitors will see, and function as a meeting space for many groups on site. The Commons feature 10 mound gardens, a rain cistern, the Watershed Wall and the Toddlers’ Garden.

The Commons are some of the highest-traffic gardens on site. Over time the original themes behind the 10 mounds have drifted and changed, as maturing trees and shrubs in the mounds change the conditions for the rest of the plant life. The Tiffany Commons mounds demonstrate the tenacity of native plant species growing in challenging growing conditions. These raised mounds are exposed to all the elements, including wind, occasionally flooding, and high heat in the summer. Locally-adapted species are able to grow nevertheless, using adaptations like deep root systems to thrive in the midst of a former industrial site.