☞ READ:Harlem Community Gardens Endangered?

There was a lot of commotion in the press this past August about community gardens being sold off by the city and we were concerned that some of our favorites might make way for new condos. One of the absolutely most breathtaking gardens can be found at West 132nd Street (top three photos), just west of Lenox Avenue and it turns out that this one will be safe since the Parks Department owns it. The city took over the 132nd Street Block Association Garden back in 1997 and spent $100,00 on a watering system that feeds its many trees and goldfish pond. There's also some nice Belgian stone paving the many walkways to be found in the community space.

The lower photo shows the more modest community garden as typically found in East Harlem which are usually less formal but more creative in their layout. Public gardens are not only open green spaces since many represent the art of the community and the walls are often made into murals. Basically, a ruling from 2002 that protected over 300 of New York City's community gardens expires this month and the government may starting offering them up for sales to developers. Read more in the New York Times: LINK