A gardener’s 48 years helping provide Manhattan a patch of peace for all
“I think this was sort of the impetus for changing the neighborhood. Over the years, the neighborhood has changed completely,”
By Kristi Lee Neuberger
Spectrum News
Apr. 23, 2021
Excerpt:
Dating back to 1973, this garden has an interesting founding story.
“Liz Christy was the one who started the whole movement,” Loggins said. “There was a child playing here in an old refrigerator, making believe it was a boat, and Liz said to the mother, ‘You know, why don’t you clean up this space so your child has a decent place to play?’”
“And the mother said, ‘I work two jobs, I have four kids. Why don’t you and your friends do it?’ And Liz went back to us and said, ‘How about cleaning up the space and we’ll see if we can make it into a garden?’” Loggins continued.
Loggins was a neighbor of Christy’s. They lived just around the corner on Mott Street. In those days, abandoned lots full of trash were on every corner. Despite the fact that Loggins walked past a patch almost every day, he had never even considered turning the space into something more.
“I thought, ‘Well, I’m in college. I’ve got plenty of free time, let me do something,” Loggins laughed. “It took us months to clean out the garbage. And then the city came in and gave us a hard time for a little bit. They said that this was their property and we had no business cleaning or planting on it. Liz called up the Daily News, of all people, got the press here, and the city backed off and we got the first lease in the city for a community garden.”
And they did save it — not just once, but multiple times as the city and other Manhattan developers came after the property, hoping to “pave paradise” and put up a high rise. The rest was history.
“I think this was sort of the impetus for changing the neighborhood. Over the years, the neighborhood has changed completely,” Loggins commented, gazing around at the Whole Foods across the street. He remembers a very different community. Loggins believes the garden played a huge role in drawing new families, young professionals, and a diverse cultures to the area, all seeking a chance to live next to the new community green space.
