By the early 2000’s, the Upper Queen Anne retail core was looking drab and rundown. Its appearance no longer reflected the warmth and welcoming spirit of our neighborhood. A group of residents and small business owners got together to change this. 

As Picture Perfect Queen Anne, the group secured a funding award from the Department of Neighborhoods to bring the community together to create a vision for Queen Anne Avenue between Galer and McGraw. Over the course of three public meetings, neighbors worked together to answer a core question: What makes a great place? Their responses became the foundation for the Queen Anne Avenue Streetscape Master Plan---a design for a vibrant and people-friendly retail core.

Today, Picture Perfect Queen Anne (PPQA) continues to use the Streetscape Master Plan as a guide for all the work it does. PPQA is still an all-volunteer, grassroots neighborhood nonprofit focused on promoting the principles and elements that make great places. We collaborate with other neighborhood groups to advocate for public spaces in new developments as well as for building designs that blend in with surrounding older buildings and preserve a neighborhood feel.

PPQA’s impact on public spaces can be seen most vividly in the gardens at Galer, Boston, and McGraw.  Although these gardens are located on the public sidewalks and in the greenbelt alongside the Galer Stairs, the professional care of these gardens is funded by You---our neighbors.