Past Rockefeller Tree Used to Build Philly Homes

After one of the most famous Christmas trees in the world comes down it is turned into lumber for Habitat for Humanity

Ever wonder what happened to the Rockefeller Christmas Tree after it’s removed from Rockefeller Plaza?

Well, the next time you’re driving around Philadelphia you might just drive right by it.

The 2011 Rockefeller Christmas Tree, which came from Mifflinville, Pa., was milled into lumber that Habitat for Humanity used to build homes on the 1900 block of Morse Street and on Gratz Street in North Philadelphia helping two families realize their dreams of owning homes.

Tishman Speyer, co-owner of Rockefeller Center, participated in the building of the Christmas tree wood-built homes.

“Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia is looking forward to hosting the Tishman Speyer team to work on homes that will incorporate lumber from the 2011 Rockefeller Christmas Tree,” Frank Monaghan, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia, said in May. “The homeowner families are equally excited that a portion of the Rockefeller Tree will be used in their new homes. It will bring as much joy to them as it did to the visitors of Rockefeller Center.”

Since 2007, wood from past Rockefeller Christmas Trees have been used to build homes in Stamford, Conn., Hudson Valley, N.Y. and other locations in the same state where the tree was grown. No word yet on where this year’s tree will go after the holidays but New Jersey seems like a good bet with this year's tree coming from Mount Olive.

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