On Clarkson Street in Uptown sits the eye-catching Turnverein building. The yellow stucco building is lined with large bay style windows, which offer glances in to the open dance floor. The historic building is home to several dance groups, from swing to tango. But on the north side of the building, located at 1570 N. Clarkson St., the asphalt is crumbling and uneven.

As a nonprofit, money is tight, said Judy Hopper, the executive director of the Turnverein. Although she said members knew something needed to be done to make the cracked asphalt look better, it wasn’t high on the list of priorities.

“We’ve lost several trees to disease. We really want to clean it up because it will make the area look nicer,” Hopper said. “If you look across the street on 16th they have grass and trees. Our part, it needs some work.”

The Turnverein started in 1865. The nonprofit focuses on dance education, and is named for clubs that promoted social and physical activity.

Last year, Judy Trompeter, president of Uptown on the Hill, offered to help get the project off the ground by applying for a grant that would help the organization add green space to the lot. Uptown on the Hill is the Registered Neighborhood Organization for the area. The two organizations called it the Greenverein project. Although Uptown on the Hill and the Turnverein did not receive the grant they applied for, it did help get the ball rolling on fundraising initiatives, Hopper said.

Since then, the nonprofit has launched a Go Fund Me page, and held a silent auction to raise money for plants in the Greenverein project, and to possibly remove the asphalt there. So far, Hopper estimated the nonprofit has raised around $4,000 of a $15,000 goal.

Hopper added that staff at the Turnverein are deciding if they will do other fundraising events like the silent auction held last year. The nonprofit will also promote the Greenverein efforts on its social media pages.

The nonprofit is also working with its neighbor, the Fillmore Auditorium, Hopper said. On nights where there is a show at the Fillmore, guests line up on Clarkson Street toward East 16th Avenue. Since both organizations use the sidewalk there, Hopper said she wanted to make sure that whatever green space is there works for both.

What the Turnverein can do with the space also depends on how much money it raises. Hopper said she hopes to put plants in later this year.

“We’ll see how much money we have and what we can do, and go from there,” she said.