EDITORIAL: A priceless lonely hectare

The Irish Echo was born in Manhattan, more specifically Harlem. For all of our 96 years and counting, we have resided on the island that has given so much to America and the world.

Now is the moment to give a little back to the island itself. A little further downtown, in Little Italy, there is a green oasis called Elizabeth Street Garden.

The land on which the garden grows was until recently owned by the City of New York, but has been maintained by neighborhood volunteers for years. According to an online publication, the garden is one hectare in size.

“It is an L-shaped plaza on Elizabeth Street in the Nolita neighborhood, between Prince Street and Spring Street. The Garden is a public green space that has served as a recreational and educational resource for the community since the 19th century. It is the only public green space in Little Italy and SoHo are known for their sculpture gardens, green hedges, and whimsical features like pear trees, concrete lions, and black-eyed Susans.

The city sold the property some time ago for $1 to the ironically named developer Haven Green.

“The developers plan to destroy the garden to build affordable senior housing as well as luxury retail and office space. The Garden’s leadership team took the city to court and won in the state Supreme Court, but lost twice on appeal.”

The leadership team and volunteers were served with an eviction notice in recent days. It seems that the city is determined to move forward with the development plan, albeit while retaining a small part of the garden.

That would be a fraction of a hectare.

Building affordable housing is of course a welcome and positive policy. In this case, there are reportedly alternative locations that will allow the city to meet its affordable housing goals.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth Street Garden itself is a target. Many have protested against the development plan, including Martin Scorsese and Robert de Niro. This is, after all, a green oasis in Little Italy.

But the area also has a rich Irish heritage. The Old Basilica of St. Patrick is just a few minutes' walk from the garden. The ancient order of the Hibernians once patrolled these streets in search of natives and the ignorant. The Irish Brigade set out here to fight the Civil War.

The enemies of Catholicism and the Union may no longer pose a threat, but the city clearly seems to be asserting its will, regardless of public opinion, regardless of the beauty and tranquility amidst so much concrete and steel.

Yes, the city wants to pave the paradise, but this time not to replace it with a parking lot, as might once have been the case with Grand Central and the New York Public Library.

Where is Jackie Kennedy when she is so desperately needed?

Once the garden is paved and built on, it will be remembered. Or maybe not. There is always the possibility of an eleventh hour reprieve. But we think that would have to come from City Hall and Mayor Eric Adams.

Granted, Mayor Adams has been a little distracted lately, but he's still doing his job. This newspaper, like all others in the city, receives numerous emails from the mayor's office every day.

There is one particular email we would really like to see, and that is one announcing that Elizabeth Street Garden should be preserved for current and future generations.

It would be a small thing – a decision over a single hectare. It would be a big deal – a signal that even a tiny island of green space is a precious thing at a time when our green world is taking hard hits every day, on the order of millions of hectares.

As mentioned above, Manhattan is home to Manhattan. We have a stake in this island. We feel like we have a say in the future, albeit a very small one.

In this case, it's a small say for a small place.

But hopefully in the eyes of some, in the eyes of Mayor Adams, these words will be writ large enough to ensure the survival of a lonely, God-fearing acre.