Liz Christy Garden

The Liz Christy Garden, also known as the Bowery Houston Community Farm and Garden, occupies a corner lot at the intersection of Houston Street and the Bowery in the East Village. It is widely recognized as the first community garden in New York City, established in 1973 by artist and activist Liz Christy and her group the Green Guerillas.

Christy and her collaborators began by tossing seed bombs (seeds packed in soil and wrapped in paper) over the fences of vacant lots on the Lower East Side. In 1973 they cleared and planted a derelict lot at this corner, creating a garden that became the prototype for the community garden movement that would eventually produce over 500 gardens across New York City.

The Green Guerillas (deliberately spelled with a double 'l') went on to become one of the most influential urban greening organizations in the country, providing seeds, tools, technical assistance, and advocacy to community gardeners throughout the city and beyond.

Today the Liz Christy Garden features a diverse collection of plantings including fruit trees, grapevines, a small pond, native wildflowers, and vegetable beds. A memorial grove honors Christy, who died of cancer in 1985 at the age of 39, leaving behind a legacy that fundamentally changed the urban landscape of New York.

The garden's location at one of the busiest intersections on the Lower East Side gives it high visibility and symbolic importance. It stands as living proof that one person's vision can transform not just a vacant lot but an entire city's relationship with green space, inspiring a movement that has created hundreds of community gardens and influenced urban policy worldwide.