Elizabeth Street Garden

1903

Portion of former site of P.S. 106, later renamed P.S. 21 and originally designed by master school architect C.B.J. Snyder with public outdoor space that functioned as a neighborhood social and civic center.

1970s

The school was torn down.

1981

Little Italy Restoration Apartments (LIRA) were built on the south side of the school lot, consisting of 152 units of affordable housing. Remaining empty northern portion lay blighted through the 1980s.

1990

Manhattan Community Board 2’s Parks Committee passed a resolution in favor of leasing it to Elizabeth Street Gallery on a month-to-month basis.

1991

When the lease began, the Gallery has surpassed CB 2’s requirement to clean up the lot and has created and cared for the Garden.

2005

The garden was accessible to the public through the gallery.

2013

The garden became the subject of a public debate surrounding the development of public housing or to establish a more community-centered public green space.

2014

CB 2 passed a resolution in support of preserving Elizabeth Street Garden, in its entirety, as a unique public green, open space and urged the City to transfer jurisdiction over this lot to the NYC Parks Department.

2019

The City Council voted unanimously to redevelop the garden into affordable senior housing.

"What most of these reviews fail to tell you is that this park is enclosed by a chained linked fence that isn't even opened once a week. The stuff you see in the park is owned by the antique store next to it, which is often the way to get into this park. Store is using it as a rent free area for their stuff."---Kitsand

"Nice place to relax and sightseeing."---River Peck

"Largely not open to the public, mainly an excuse for a real estate developer to swindle public land from the city."---Jon S

"Quite a little oasis of art at the edge of soho."---Qizhong wang

"Beautiful garden in the middle of NYC."---Joseph E

"Quaint in NYC,rescue volunteers needed to restore & maintain."---Maricar Atienza

"This gem is in danger of being closed due to development on its grounds. Praying for this oasis to stay!"---MT

"A lovely place to take a break from your hectic day. ESG offers a respite within a sanctuary that is ripe for cleansing the mind and catching a deep breath. Try it and consider donating to help keep this gem free and open to the public. Kudos to the volunteers and ground keepers that maintain this oasis. Thank you. See you soon."---Fred alluso

"Mágico jardín!!!"---Melisa Bekenstein

"Such a perfect spot to take a coffee break."---Ingie Aly

"Such a lovely little garden."---Rey Zhong

"More of a sculpture park than a garden, this location provides a unique outdoor respite from the concrete jungle. Stop in to read, have something to eat, or just wander around looking at all of the statues. Very classic."---Carolyn de melo

"One of the few pleasant things left in this hell of a society."--Larry Silver Fish

"Wow! We stumbled on this gem while we were waiting for our appointment at New York Shaving Company. The sculptures and the plants blend to make a true oasis in the city. Shot way up my favorite park list."---Daniel Webster

"Elizabeth Street Garden is a hidden gem in Manhattan. It's a small green space that's more than a community garden. There are statues throughout the space and hidden benches for people to read on. They also host events from morning yoga. If you need a respite from the city life, retreat to this garden for hours. You'll forget you're in New York City."---Austin Graff

"Super peaceful and a great place to relax and read in nature :)"---Charles Wong

"It is never open! If you are a working class individual you will never be able to take advantage of this space! The only people who use it seem to be high-end women with yoga mats! Please!"---MB

"Haven’t gone fully garden, but attended this orchid festival and really was it a look. Absolutely beautifully laid out and thus much to see. If you’re buying lovely date night, or even a stroll with a child flower-loving-Friend, this spot needs to be high on your number."---Adele K

"Fabulous spot to take a break from the bustle of a city."---Andreas

"This park is beautiful and one of the most underrated spots in Manhattan. On a nice day, it's perfect to grab lunch and sit outside, or take calls, or stroll through for a break from the tourist mobs in Soho. Donate to them. Attend the events. Just do everything to support keeping it!"---Sarah Marie

"The annual orchid demonstrate to was just magical. Smelling the orchids and also the lighting, enjoying drinks with good quality music made the evening a particular one. There’s live music plus some good stalls at typically the entrance. It seemed as if I was attending some wedding or even a special event. I would for sure recommend anyone to visit their evening shows."---Sanchez Lo

"Stop by before this park is no more. Please help contribute to its legal defense!"---Robin Kirner

It was a sunny day in July, 2019. I’m supposed to go to the east village from my apartment in Brooklyn. However, I stepped on J train instead of M train and I didn’t realize that until it arrived at Bowery Station. It was not far from the east village so I decided to take a walk. When passing the garden, I was immediately drawn into it. It was like a hidden eden in New York City. I also captured an image of a butterfly standing on the stone lion.

I love this small garden. It is not as famous as central park but it provides a special, secret feeling for whoever comes in. Being watched by sphinx and those marble sculptures, suddenly you would feel you are in a boboli garden in Florence instead of New York City. It is a place where you can leave the large crowded city and then step into a peaceful land. Right now, because of the city’s plan, it might just be razed to the ground. I think this is a perfect time to build a digital monument for it before it disappears. Mr.Reiver once said “A building will never be torn down for a garden. But if you tear down a garden, it’s gone forever.” Making the garden digital and reviving an experience that it used to bring to me became my own way of saving the garden and a resistance to urbanization.