When we stopped by the Elizabeth Street Garden this weekend, one of our favorite urban havens in New York City, one of the garden’s community volunteers pointed out the street art mural on the Mott Street side. She had met JR, when he asked permission to put up the work, but she didn’t realize who he was. Like the ephemeral nature of street art, the garden itself is in danger of disappearing.
On November 4th, there will be a public hearing regarding the city’s plans to build affordable housing on the site. The Elizabeth Street Garden is one of the few urban spaces in an area that is relatively low on green space. It’s also one of the quirkiest in the city, full of salvaged sculpture and architectural details from Europe and around the world. The garden regularly hosts film screenings and events, like today’s Gawker Entertainment Lunch and tonight’s showing of Robert DeNiro’s Mean Streets. The community is galvanizing support for the garden’s survival on its online petition (you can also sign a physical one in the garden).
The Community Board 2 Hearing on the Future of Elizabeth Street Garden is on November 4th, 6:30pm at P.S. 130 Hernando De Soto School Auditorium, 143 Baxter Street (between Hester & Grand).
Get in touch with the author @untappedmich.
