City of Neighborhoods: Green Bay’s longest standing Neighborhood Association

GREEN BAY – Green Bay’s longest standing Neighborhood Association (NA), Astor, was formed in the 70s and became a national historical district 10 years later.

Astor Neighborhood Association’s president, Deby Dehn, has been leading her NA for three years and has been working with neighborhood associations for the past 30.

To recognize her for all of her hard work, Dehn received the Resident Leadership Award from the City of Green Bay in 2019.

And because of their thoughtful, community based projects, Astor’s NA has been awarded Neighborhood of the Year by Green Bay Neighborhoods twice, most recently in 2023.

Because Astor is Green Bay’s longest standing NA, Dehn says that they “have a duty towards historic preservation.”

She was also happy to share that Astor’s neighboring NA, Astor East River, is currently undergoing research to designate their neighborhood as a historical area as well.

Dehn says that emphasizing history and innovation plays a role in everything they do.

All of Astor’s events are hosted with the intention to highlight their NA’s history.

First, Dehn says that her favorite project that her NA has done is the creation of a mural that is on display beneath the Mason St bridge.

The mural proudly displays “Welcome to Astor” to kindly invite residents and newcomers alike into their neighborhood.

Some annual events hosted by Astor include their wine tasting and easter egg hunt, with their most recent wine tasting raising over three-thousand dollars.

Astor also hosts neighborhood concerts in June, July and August, each taking place on the third Tuesday of the month.

In the fall, Asltor’s major event is called If Homes Could Talk.

During this event, Astor sells tickets for people to enter historical homes and learn about their history.

If Homes Could Talk begins its tour at the Union Congregational UCC, which Dehn shared was a site of the underground railroad.

As a part of their overall mission, Astor also keeps an eye on properties that have hit a specific state of deterioration.

“Losing structures and homesteads within the area puts your historical designation at risk,” said Dehn, noting that this responsibility is specific to her historically dense NA.

“We’re really proud of the work that we do here. We’re pretty darn active. Sometimes we’re a little too active,” said Dehn.

Dehn encourages anyone interested in learning more about Astor’s Neighborhood Association to visit www.astorneighborhood.org.