Walking through the Village on Sunday I
spotted some lovely red roses peeping over a black iron fence near the
Jefferson Market library. To my amazement, the gates were open and inside I
made a wonderful discovery.
Mere steps from busy Sixth
Avenue was a hidden garden. Walking slowly along a brick path that wrapped around a
lush green lawn, I took in the trees including yellowwoods and crabapples, a pond filled
with koi and goldfish, a blooming rose garden, and benches tucked into hollows
including one under a rose-draped trellis. I couldn't believe my eyes. How was
it I hadn't been inside before?
I soon found the answer. The garden is opened to visitors only on certain afternoons in spring and summer when the weather is nice so I've probably
always passed by at the wrong time. I also learned that the site was originally the location of the Women's House of Detention (the library next door was a courthouse at the time). Built in 1931, the prison generated a lot of attention for its art deco design and for stories of the constant noise that rang out from the
prison as the incarcerated women shouted down to people below. The prison was
demolished in 1973 and two years later the Jefferson Market Garden was born.
Today the garden is maintained by a group of
volunteers and plays host to concerts and children's events. I can't wait to
return with my camera (I only had my phone that day) and capture more of the
garden's loveliness.
To find out more about the garden, visit their
website here.
Photos by Michele.
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