An urban garden will grow on a Garment District block this summer
All photos courtesy of the Garment District Alliance
One of the city’s busiest neighborhoods is getting a little slice of peace. The Garment District Alliance and the city’s Department of Transportation unveiled a new street art installation Wednesday afternoon. The nearly 180-foot painting by artist Carla Torres, “Nymph Pond,” takes up the stretch of Broadway between 37th and 38th Streets. The best part? The block with the mural is being temporarily set aside as an “urban garden” until the end of the summer.
Painted by Ecuadorian artist Carla Torres, “Nymph Pond” is inspired by a pond of the same name in the Galapagos Island. Painted as part of the Garment District Alliance’s Art on the Plazas program, the mural depicts a nymph peeking out of the water, surrounded by geometric waves and lily pads.
This isn’t Torres’ first time painting a mural for the city. Last year she was commissioned by DOT to paint “The World is Our Oyster,” a mural located on Thieriot Avenue in the Bronx.
Also on Wednesday, Ed Pincar, the Manhattan borough commissioner for DOT, announced that the City is setting aside $20 million to go towards the construction of two permanent pedestrian blocks in the Garment District.
This involves designating two streets as pedestrian plazas, elevating the height of the street to the sidewalk, and various other improvements that will be implemented with feedback from the community. This will serve as the district’s first-ever designated open public space.
“Permanent plazas in the Garment District will be transformative for the neighborhood,” Barbara Blair, president of the Garment District Alliance, said in a statement.
“This exciting project will create a permanent public space that can be enjoyed by local New Yorkers and visitors year-round, and we look forward to working closely with NYC DOT, our community partners, and stakeholders to bring our vision to life.”
For now, however, the mural and urban garden on Broadway are temporary. Created in tandem with the DOT’s Seasonal Streets project, the space will last until August 31. Until then, pedestrians can enjoy live music and free lemonade from Renegade Lemonade every Wednesday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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