40th Anniversary Celebration
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Art Exhibit
Fine Art Photos by
Bill Thomas, Fredda Tone, Linda Camardo
September 19-20, 2015 12:30-6:30
Marianne Yoors, weaver/ceramist
Adopt a Pot
September 26-27, 2015
11 am - 6 pm
Bring children to our
Free Annual Harvest Festival
Pumpkins & Cookies by
Citarella
11am-2pm
October 10, 2015
Annual
Holiday Tree Lighting
sponsored by
date and time
to be announced
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You are invited to
Support
the Garden:
Donations in all amounts are welcome. Every donation helps our plants, shrubs and flowers thrive and our community service grow.
Send
your tax-deductible contribution to:
70A Greenwich Ave PMB 372
For a special Garden Wedding, contact our booking department.
Volunteer:
Be a Gardener or Gate Greeter
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Photo Gallery
2015 Events
for our
Community
Midwinter Evening at Jefferson Market Library
Children's Festival of Flowers
Two Children's Garden of Music Concerts
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Art Photography in the Garden
Bill Thomas
Linda Camardo
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Celebrating Our 40th Year!
Linda Camardo Photo
Better Every Year!
40 years ago a group of Greenwich village activists stood inside a chainlink fence on a barren patch of rubble that remained after the demolition of the Women's House of Detention. They announced that the land under their feet had been transferred to the Parks Department and that their organization, the Village Committee for the Jefferson Market Area, was going to turn the space into a garden for the community. There were no trees or shrubs, flowers, irrigation system, topsoil or any sort of garden design.
Our Garden 1980
Volunteers from the community quickly mobilized to mitigate the obvious challenges of the site. Landscape architect Pamela Berdan volunteered to develop a design for the garden and the city provided a water supply. Anne Spira as Chairman of Volunteers coordinated the work of community gardeners. Philanthropist Brooke Astor took an interest in the newly named Jefferson Market Garden and the Vincent Astor Foundation under her direction funded the basic materials that were needed. And so our Garden began.
In 1998 the chainlink fence was replaced by a high steel and wrought iron fence designed to complement our neighbor, the 19th century Jefferson Market Library (formerly the Jefferson Market Courthouse). Again, it was Brooke Astor and the Vincent Astor Foundation that provided grant funds for the design, construction and installation of the new fence that protects and beautifies our Garden today.
On September 9th, the Garden is having a special celebration of our 40 years of Beauty and Service to our community. We will be presenting long-term supporters of our Garden, Barry Benepe and Adrian Benepe, with the Brooke Astor Award for Outstanding Contributions to Urban Gardens.
Barry Benepe contributed to a markedly better urban environment through the development of our Greenmarkets and advocated for improving underutilized urban spaces, maintaining local farmland and bringing the bounty of the crops into the city in a way that brought new life to the streets and fresh produce into our homes.
 Adrian Benepe provided creative leadership at the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation during a period of renovation, transformation and expansion of our park system that provided New Yorkers with a markedly better urban environment. Over 730 acres of new parks were created under his stewardship.
We hope you can join us for this joyous, historic event. Click here for information and tickets.
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Volunteerism Continues
Spring 2015 began with a cold, shrub-damaging winter, but our tulips and other Spring flowers were only a little later than expected. Our wonderful Gate Volunteers donned hats and gloves and winter coats to open the gates so that visitors could enjoy the glorious display. Now in the heat of summer, they are still there.
On Mondays, Garden Volunteers have persevered through finger numbing cold and the tropical heat to trim, plant, dig, rake, sweep and hand-water new plantings.
 
Linda Camardo photo
Bill Thomas photo
We give special thanks to both the Gate and Garden Volunteers who make our Garden both accessible and beautiful.
At the same time, many more unseen volunteers prepare publications, create and maintain our social media, donate photos and art work, staff weddings and other Garden events, and our
Board Members oversee all aspects of the Garden and worked for to continue its financial stability.
We appreciate the time and skills that so many of you give to the Garden.
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Community Programs Expand
School children enjoying a free Garden tour
With the Garden's fabulous greenery and blooms in the background, we presented a series programs for our community:
The Children's Festival of Flowers with Dave the Worm Guy educating and Christine Gros directing
The Children's Garden of Music, two concerts of classical music by the Borough of Manhattan Community College Faculty Ensemble, chaired by Elizabeth Butson
Five Sunday Concerts of Irish Harp and Songs by Christina Britton Conroy
These were made possible with the help of Garden Volunteers and members of the Sixth Precinct Police Explorers Post 516. Our community sponsors contributed to our successes:
Imagination Play Project,
Noisy Notes,
New York Public Library,
NYU,
BMCC and
Peter Rabbit Organics.
We THANK YOU all!
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Our Garden flourishes primarily because of generous support from YOU in the contribution box, checks in the mail, clicks on our support page and from those who will attend our our 40th Anniversary Celebration.
We salute our Garden Volunteers, Gate Greeters, individual donors, foundation and business contributors, and everyone else who gives time and talent to our amazing Garden! During the past 40 years, your support has transformed a rubble strewn lot into a place of tranquility and beauty in the heart of Greenwich Village. We thank you all!
and the Jefferson Market Board
Enduring Beauty Since 1975
Jefferson Market (est.1833) & Watch Tower
In 1975, visionary Greenwich Village activists took back the land where Jefferson Market, a farmers' produce market, stood before the Women's House of Detention (1932-1973) was built and then demolished. Their dream garden is now a reality.
Christina Britton Conroy Concert
Celebrating 40 years in 2015
Village Committee for the Jefferson Market Area
Our latest annual report may be obtained, upon request, from the Office of the Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271
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