For the princely sum of $10 a year, a New York senior — my sister, for example — can visit a serene rooftop flower garden any day in the week. And the public can come for free on Sundays.
We made a pilgrimage to the Lotus Garden last Thursday, and it was delightful. The only people who were there at the time were two nannies and two toddlers.
Here is some history from the website. “Once upon a time back in the 1960s, two grand old movie theaters (the Riverside and Riviera) stood on the west side of Broadway, north of 96th Street. Eventually the theaters closed, the building fell into disrepair and was demolished — leaving an empty lot. Would-be gardeners in the neighborhood took over, planting a riot of flowers in the ‘Broadway Gardens,’ while the local politicians, realtors and bankers squabbled over the future of the lot. (Would an Alexanders department store serve the community better than an apartment house?) In the face of fierce community opposition a number of development projects fizzled.
“Determined Upper West Siders organized; local block associations joined the gardeners, along with the City Planning Commission, Community Board 7, and the Trust for Public Land, among others. Out of this emerged a committee, spearheaded by community activists Carrie Maher, a horticulturist, and Mark Greenwald, an architect, which worked with would-be real estate developer William Zeckendorf Jr. on the project for more than a year, persuading him to translate this neighborhood green space into an amenity that would enhance his building’s charm and value.
“Zeckendorf built stairs to the roof from a gate on the street; a cherry picker lofted 3-1/2 feet of topsoil onto the garage roof. Then Carrie and Mark, who headed the garden, laid out winding paths, installed two fish ponds and planted fruit trees and flowering shrubs. At last in the spring of 1983, a group of local residents, including new residents of the Columbia, began to plant flowers and herbs beneath the north facing windows of the Columbia’s tower. Today 28 families tend garden plots there. Thus the Lotus Garden, a community garden, came to be built on the roof of the garage of the Columbia condominium, on West 97th Street in Manhattan.” See pictures of the development stages here.
The only drawback I can think of is that the space is not wheelchair accessible. But if you can climb stairs, you are in for a treat. Here are the pictures I took. The peaches on the tree had just started to ripen.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
That’s really neat that there’s a garden on the roof! It’s really pretty!
It’s neat that so many people got together to make something lovely happen there.
That’s lovely! A great idea.
I’m confused though about its being on the roof of a garage but also in the space of a building that got demolished. The theaters that got demolished–was that originally sitting on top of the parking garage? Or is there also space at ground level that’s gardened? It says that a building got demolished, leaving an empty lot, but also that the garden is on a roof–which seems to mean a building is still standing?
I think the developer of the new condo building put a garage there with a garden on top. If you live on that side of the condo building, your view is a real amenity.
How wonderful is this–a secret garden! And what a good way to spend $10, to have the right to go there!
$20 if you are not a senior citizen. I love that nannies and toddlers find it a happy place.
Oh, marvelous! I, too, was confused about the empty lot and the roof of a garage. Thanks for clarifying.
There are even lotuses there but no buds yet.
What a beautiful garden! You won’t find stuff like this in any other city. Thanks for sharing!
I love New York.