I remember the first time I came upon the Elizabeth Street Garden, I stopped dead in my tracks. It was 2019, and the garden wasn’t open that day. I was able to snap one photo through the fence. I knew I’d be back!
Elizabeth Street Garden History
Since 1882 this land has offered the community a place to gather. It was first the site of the Free School Society’s Public School No. 5, which opened in 1822. It offered free night classes for people of color.
The original school gradually expanded and became PS 21, which offered open space for the community. The garden’s official website has great photos of the expansion history here.
Eventually the school was demolished in the 1970’s and the Little Italy Restoration Apartments were built. An agreement was made to reserve the garden space for recreational use, but the land became overgrown.
In 1990, half of Lot 41 was rented to Elizabeth Street Gallery owner Allan Reiver. He cleared out the junkyard that the land had become and planted grasses, trees and bushes. The statues and structures in the garden are from his collection. There’s a great article about his gallery here.
Elizabeth Street Gallery
A peek inside Allan Reiver’s gallery, next door to the garden:
The Garden Today
The beloved garden is just one acre, but it’s easy to see why it gets over 100k annual visitors. Even when it’s fairly crowded, you can find a quiet nook. The plants are allowed to really grow which provides more privacy.
The Gazebo
The copper gazebo, with wreaths of iron flowers, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, best known for designing the grounds of Central Park and the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The Balustrade
The granite balustrade was designed by French landscape architect Jacques-Henri-Auguste Gréber for Lynnewood Hall, one of the largest Gilded Age mansions in the Philadelphia area.
The Lions
There are three carved limestone lions in the garden, from Italy.
The placement of the sculptures is balanced, yet whimsical. That’s part of the charm, it doesn’t have a sterile, manicured feel. Allan has said: “When I got things, I would just pick a spot and put it there.”
A Garden in Trouble
Unfortunately, the land the Elizabeth Street Garden is on still belonged to the Board of Education. In 2012 plans were made to develop the site for housing. Ownership of the land was transferred to the NYC Housing Authority with no public review.
There was no way the community would take the destruction of their garden lying down. Enter the Friends of the Elizabeth Street Garden.
The Friends of the Elizabeth Street Garden organized volunteers to keep the garden open daily, and raise public awareness of the threat.
In 2019 the ESG filed a lawsuit against the City of New York to stop development of the garden site. As the lawsuit moves through the state supreme court system, ESG continues to manage the garden while providing events for the community and raising funds for the legal case.
A treasured sanctuary
Surrounded by concrete, noise and hustle, the Elizabeth Street Garden offers sanctuary to to the neighborhood. I hope the garden prevails and is around for another 200 years, at least.
How to get there
The Elizabeth Street Garden is on Elizabeth Street between Spring and Prince Streets in Nolita. The closest station is Spring St. The garden is open year-round, weather permitting.
Sources:
Elizabeth Street Garden – homepage
Wiki – Elizabeth Street Garden
The Cultural Landscape Foundation – Elizabeth Street Garden
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