At the end of Pennsylvania Avenue and just west of John F. Kennedy International Airport is an area that was once a natural marshland at the edge of East New York.

In the early 20th century, Jamaica Bay, the body of water that surrounds the marshland, was planned as an international seaport. A 1907 map shows the entire area gridded with streets stretching to the edge of the water, where over one-hundred piers were located. Unfortunately, this plan never came to fruition.

Between the 1930s and the 1950s, the edge of the marshland was used as a dumping ground. The Pennsylvania Avenue Landfill, Milford Street Landfill, Crescent Street Landfill, and the South Shore Incinerator covered the area. In 1940, Belt Parkway stretched over the three landfills. The city officially declared land south of this parkway an area for trash disposal. By the 1960s, 40% of New York City's garbage (over 8,000 tons) was added to the pile daily.

By 1967, plans finally broke ground on land just north of the landfills, which soon became Starrett City: a sprawling complex of apartment buildings and businesses. While the new residence towers grew in height, so did the landfill. It is estimated that 30,000 worms were imported to the site. Waste oil was routinely sprayed on the heaps of garbage to keep the dust down. Residents of Starrett City complained of an obstructed view, as Jamaica Bay disappeared behind by 140 feet of garbage. The landfills were known polluters, too, causing an increase in respiratory problems to its neighbors.

The landfill ceased operation in 1985. The group photographed here cultivating the site is likely a team of volunteers. The former landfill is now a New York State Park. It is named for Shirley Chisholm, a Brooklynite who was the first African American Congresswoman.