The Irish Echo was born in Manhattan, Harlem to be precise. In all our 96 years and counting we have been based on the island that has given so much to America and the wider world.
Now is a moment for giving back a little to the island itself. Downtown a ways, in Little Italy, there is a green oasis that goes by the name of the Elizabeth Street Garden.
The land on which the garden grows was until recently owned by New York City but has been tended for years by volunteers from the neighborhood. The garden, according to an online posting, is one acre in size.
"It's an L-shaped space located on Elizabeth Street in the Nolita neighborhood, between Prince and Spring Streets. The garden is a public green space that's been a recreational and educational resource for the community since the 1800s. It's the only public green space in Little Italy and SoHo. The garden is known for its sculpture garden, leafy hedges, and whimsical features like pear trees, cement lions, and black-eyed Susans."
The city, a while back, sold the land to the ironically named Haven Green, a developer, for $1.
"The developers plan to destroy the garden to build senior affordable housing and luxury retail and office space. The garden's leadership team has taken the city to court, winning in the State Supreme Court but losing in appeals twice."
Said leadership team and the volunteers have, in recent days, been served with an eviction notice. The city, it would appear, is determined to press ahead with the development plan, albeit with a small portion of the garden preserved.
That would be a fraction of an acre.
Building affordable housing is, of course, a welcome and positive policy. Reportedly, in this instance, there are alternative sites that allow the city to march towards its affordable housing targets.
Sadly, however, the Elizabeth Street Garden is itself a target. Many have protested the development plan including Martin Scorsese and Robert de Niro. This is, after all, a green haven in Little Italy.
But the neighborhood also has a rich Irish heritage. Saint Patrick's Old Basilica is only a few minutes walk from the garden. The Ancient Order of Hibernians once patrolled these streets on the watch for Nativists and Know Nothings. The Irish Brigade set out for the Civil War hereabouts.
The enemies of Catholicism and the Union might no longer be a threat, but there seems to be definite know nothingism in the way that the city is determined to have its way, regardless of public sentiment, regardless of the beauty and tranquility amid so much concrete and steel.
Yes, the city wants to pave paradise, though this time not to replace it with a parking lot as might have once been the case with Grand Central and the New York Public Library.
Where's Jackie Kennedy when she is so much needed?
Once paved over and built upon the garden will pass into memory. Or maybe not. There is always the chance of an eleventh hour reprieve. But that, we reckon, would have to come from City Hall and Mayor Eric Adams.
Granted, Mayor Adams is somewhat distracted of late but he is still doing his job. This paper, along with all others in the city, is a daily recipient of multiple emails from the mayor's office.
There is one particular email that we would very like to see and that is one containing an announcement that the Elizabeth Street Garden is to be preserved for the present and future generations.
It would be a small thing - a decision over a single acre. It would be a big thing - a signal that even a tiny island of green space is a precious thing at a time when our green world is receiving hard blows each and every day, and on a scale running into millions of acres.
As stated at the top, the Echo counts Manhattan as its home. We have a stake in this island. We feel we have a say, albeit a very small one, in its future.
In this instance it's a small say for a small place.
But hopefully these words will be writ large enough in the eyes of some, in the eyes of one, Mayor Adams, to ensure the survival of a lone godly acre.
