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A public garden that’s set to be demolished has played a part in creative life of one of New York City’s greatest living artists, she tells us.
Patti Smith is one of several bold-face names campaigning to save the Elizabeth Street Gardens in Little Italy.
And the musician, author and poet tells Page Six that the spot — which is set to be destroyed to make way for affordable housing for the elderly — has been a creative refuge for her, as well as thousands of others city dwellers.
The garden is set to be demolished to make way for affordable housing for the elderly. Getty ImagesShe even said that she’s worked on a new book about her life while sitting in the Downtown oasis.
“I’ve written poems there. I like to sit and think. It’s a good place just to think and contemplate,” the author of books including “Just Kids” and “M Train” told us, adding, “I’m working on a book. It’s a work in progress and when I was in the garden I was writing about my mother.”
“When we do performances there, it’s not like raucous atmosphere — it’s a very light-hearted, benevolent atmosphere were people are listening,” Smith said, “Sometimes I’ve improvised poetry with my daughter in the garden. It’s inspiring. But it’s also calming. Sometimes I might want to go to the garden not to work, but to exist — just to feel blessed by my surroundings.”
Robert De Niro and Martin Scorcese have also lent their weight to the cause. Along with Smith, the three cultural icons have penned letters to Mayor Eric Adams, asking him to step in to save the garden.
The site was first developed as a garden by Allan Reiver in the early 1990s. A developer now plans to build affordable housing on the space. Demolition is due to begin in a matter of weeks, and the garden could be closed as soon as September 10.
Smith tells us that she find the spot creatively inspiring. Getty Images“I’ve lived in the city off-and-on for over half a century, and these type of areas are fast diminishing,” she said. “And they’re worth fighting for.”
Her daughter, Jesse Paris Smith, is working nearly full-time on the campaign to save the garden.
“It’s more than a garden,” Patti said, “It’s really like a work of art. It’s like an art installation merging sculpture and nature and community — all three things in one place.”
The author, musician and poet says she’s lived in the city “off-and-on” for more than half a century. Getty ImagesThe “Gloria” singer acknowledged that affordable housing for the elderly is, of course, important, and she noted that at 77 years old, she’s naturally sensitive to the needs of older citizens.
But she said that the city is full of empty office and retail space, and that its seems likely that a beloved garden isn’t the only viable spot for the new homes.
“And it must be said that many of the people who are concerned about losing the garden are the elderly,” Patti said, “There are many elderly people who have said they’d forfeit the right to live in any new housing, if we would only save the garden.”
