When Dylan Sam, who just finished third grade at Public School 130 Hernando De Soto, found out that Elizabeth Street Garden was in danger of being demolished, he was shocked — and confused.
“Everyone spent time planting that garden, and it’s fresh air. If they take away fresh air, they’re taking away years from you,” said Dylan, 8. “I hope it stays, because it’s free fresh air — you don’t have to buy it.” (Trees, he went on to explain, absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, hence the “free fresh air.”)
The fate of Elizabeth Street Garden — a once-vacant lot between Elizabeth, Mott, Prince and Spring Streets, in downtown Manhattan — has been in question for years. The garden, which opened to the public nearly two decades ago on land owned by the city, is a rare place to find peace and an element of whimsy in a busy, commercial neighborhood. Sculptures poke through the landscaping, and yoga classes and movie nights are held there. Every year, some 200,000 visitors stroll through the garden, according to the volunteer-based nonprofit group that runs it.
But in 2019, the City Council voted to approve plans to use the site to build affordable housing for senior citizens. Supporters of the garden attempted to halt the development through lawsuits, social media campaigns and public rallies. In June, after years of legal wrangling, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the city. Now the garden could be gone as soon as September.
Dylan isn’t the only one of his classmates concerned about the garden’s imminent demise. For the 575 or so students who attend P.S. 130, Elizabeth Street Garden serves as an extension of the classroom. The elementary school lacks green space, but it is only a 10-minute walk from the garden, allowing for frequent visits and class trips. So the garden has become a de facto playground and nature center where the children can plant seeds, learn about nature and have Easter egg hunts.
In an effort to save their urban oasis, students in first through fourth grade have been writing letters to Mayor Eric Adams, pleading with him to save the garden. The handwritten letters, which were shared with a reporter from The New York Times, are being sent to the mayor’s office this week, said Joseph Reiver, Elizabeth Street Garden’s executive director. They are filled with endearing misspellings, grammatical errors and wobbly penmanship. But while they may appear juvenile or naïve, the issues they raise are anything but. In their messages, the students touch on themes of climate change and mental health, stressing the importance of green space and clean air.
“Tree’s also provide homes for animals like birds, squirrels, and raccoons. This is why we should save the garden!” wrote one student.
Another explained, “The garden adds color and brightness to the city.”
Many were concerned about their favorite play space disappearing: “One reson why we should keep the garden is because with all the trees, we can play hide & seek and eat lunch.”
“I’m asking you to reconsider shutting down the Elizabeth Street park,” wrote Emily, who completed fourth grade earlier this year. “I’m asking because if children look for green space, it’s already limited. This is sufficating us in the community if you tear down the garden.”
Jennifer Lee, who teaches at P.S. 130, said she takes her class to the garden half a dozen times a year: “We have no grass play area or field for the students. Their exposure to nature is limited.”
When she told her class in June that the garden may disappear, she said, “They were very upset. They were like, ‘Why? We need it. We need the trees and the plants, and what’s going to happen to the animals?’”
Her students visit the garden multiple times over the course of a year, she said, and “can see plants growing firsthand.” Those trips are especially helpful for kinesthetic students, who learn best through a hands-on approach, she added: “We can read about things, but actually seeing it and actually planting seeds, they get so much more from that experience.”
One of Ms. Lee’s former students, Corrine Hu, a 9-year-old who will soon start fourth grade, said what she’ll miss most is seeing the flowers she planted.
At first, Corrine didn’t enjoy gardening. “I didn’t want to be messy,” she said in a phone interview. “But in the process, I liked it, because it was growing and I was seeing it.”
In her letter to Mayor Adams, she wrote, “I will be very very very sad if the garden was goen becuasu ther will be lest green in the earth in my area. Please save the garden, please!”
Supporters of the new development, Haven Green, cite the high rents in the area and the desperate need for more affordable housing as reasons the project should move forward. As of March, the average rent in Manhattan was over $4,800, according to RentCafe. And last year, the rental vacancy rate dropped to a more than 50-year low of 1.4 percent, according to information from the city.
In an emailed statement, Adolfo Carrión Jr., the commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development, emphasized that Haven Green will have publicly accessible outdoor space: “The choice was never between open space and affordable housing — Haven Green will do both, creating beautiful new green space with community art while building sorely needed, affordable housing for older adults.”
A City Hall spokesperson confirmed that position, writing in another email that the Adams administration is “committed to delivering this 100 percent deeply affordable housing for older New Yorkers in a neighborhood with few affordable options.”
Those fighting to keep the garden say they don’t oppose affordable housing. They simply oppose a development that comes at the cost of a historic garden. Mr. Reiver, the son of Allan Reiver, who is credited with founding the garden, said he has identified other places in the neighborhood where the city could put a housing development. At a town hall last year, Mr. Reiver said he handed the mayor a proposal detailing possible alternative sites. “He said, to my face, ‘Let’s set up a meeting,’ but then never followed up on that,” Mr. Reiver said. (The mayor’s office declined to respond to a request for comment about this interaction.)
For children like Dylan, the issues are simpler: The garden holds a sentimental value.
Back in the 1980s, when it was an empty lot, his mother used to play there as a child. “My mom and me kind of grew up there,” he said. “It’s a huge memory. And now we sit there and relax on the benches together.”