Why all the lawsuits over a tiny garden in lower Manhattan? Like some of you dear readers, I have been following the occasional stories in New York papers about the demise and resurrection of the Elizabeth Street Garden, as lawsuits and counter-lawsuits continue to be filed. It will be gone forever! No, wait, there are better sites for low-income housing and we can preserve this green space! No, wrong again…

So I brought my crew to the garden on a recent Saturday, appropriately attired in a vintage garden dress, to find out what all the fuss was about. It was a lovely spring day, not too hot, and the garden was full to the hat brim with people and dogs in every available nook and cranny. Garden authorities were on hand to question our photoshoot, but quickly acquiesced once I explained to the handsome Joseph about the sacred mission of Straus News and filed an email permit request via my iPhone.

My impression? Meh.

Yes, it’s a lovely spot, as photos attest. But it’s a tiny footprint, and the nearby Sara D. Roosevelt Park has much more green space and amenities.

The park’s origin story is that Allan Reiver created the Little Italy gem on New York Board of Education property in 1991, when he operated the neighboring Elizabeth Street Gallery. He placed some of his gallery’s statues in the unused lot, and eventually opened it to the public. The New York City Housing Authority took over the land in 2012 with plans to erect a residential building there. After a lengthy dispute over the garden, in 2024 the New York Court of Appeals ruled to allow the development.

Celebrities such as Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, and Patti Smith joined community protestors in their efforts to preserve the garden. A state judge issued an injunction preventing the garden from being evicted until at least the end of October 2024. Now the garden’s fate is frozen in the courts.

The garden includes various sculptures, mostly from Allan Reiver’s collection. His gallery was located in a renovated 19th-century firehouse adjacent to the garden property. He planted perennials, native plants, and trees, and added architectural elements like gates, fencing, statuary, tables, and seating. The garden also boasts a copper gazebo designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the noted landscape architect.

In 2013, community members learned that the city was planning to replace the garden with a residential building for low-income senior citizens, and organized talks and protests to save it. The community worked with Reiver to revitalize the space and leave the main gates permanently open to the public. The activists’ legal team has suggested alternative city-owned locations for low-income housing, such as a site on nearby Suffolk Street.

The latest “development,” if you’ll excuse the pun, is that Mayor Eric Adams has appointed his first deputy mayor, Randy Mastro, to the case. He recently discussed backing away from the project, according to five people familiar with the effort (as reported in the New York Times).

My opinion, as a lover of green space, who is also dismayed and heart-wrenched by the vulnerable elderly homeless people I see sleeping on my neighborhood’s sidewalks every day: let the space be used for housing.

Proposal after proposal for low-income housing get shot down in this city. It’s time to put our money where our compassion is and do something for these people. IMHO.

Thanks for listening. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

This article first appeared in Chelsea News and other papers in the Straus News group.

Style Notes

I’m wearing a vintage flower-print 1930s Junior Miss dress with sleeves that detach via zippers! I found this gem at Honeymoon Antiques at 208 E. 6th Street. But the real show-stopper is these Sophia Webster pop-art shoes. I received shout-outs from the moment I stepped off the curb to hail a cab until my crew and I settled down for post-shoot drinks and snacks at Little Italy’s iconic Benito One on Mulberry Street. The shoes speak!

What I Wore

• Vintage flower-print ’30s Junior Miss dress with detachable sleeves. Honeymoon Antiques, 208 E. 6th St. (now at 130 West 25th 5B, Chelsea)
• Sophia Webster pop-art shoes with colored ribbon. The Bay, Vancouver. Ribbon from Michael’s on 6th Avenue.
• Layered-brim cream garden-party hat with tulle bow. Beacon’s Closet, 10 W. 13th St.
• Anachronistic sparkly rhinestone necktie. Gift from a Canadian cousin to celebrate NYC.
• Vintage amethyst and turquoise bracelet. Mirabelle Boutique, 1310 Madison Avenue.

Many thanks to Julia Fiore for her charming video on how to create 1930s hairstyles with hats. I followed her tips to make these pin curls.