Marx Brothers Place is home to some of the oldest gardens in Carnegie Hill. Tucked behind the row of historic homes on the south side of the block lies a collection of contiguous gardens that have been home to a variety of flora & fauna for more than a century. The demolition of even just a section of these gardens will rob many species of their nesting; resting and feeding places, causing a substantial adverse change to New York’s fragile ecosystem.
We need your help to protect the historic gardens and species habitats on Marx Brothers Place. Please write to your local and state officials and tell them to stop the senseless demolition of these historic gardens and irreplaceable treasures. And please, don’t forget to sign our online petition, which you can find here on our web blog!
December 16, 2007
Dear Susan,
As a brownstone owner on a landmarked block, Goat Hill, and co-chair of Carnegie Hill Neighbor’s Tree Care Committee, I am horrified by the plans for 178, 180 and 182 East 93rd Street between Lexington and Third Avenues that involve destroying the back garden and building up to the rear lot lines. In the thirty years that I have lived in my house, I always thought that the R8B zoning protected our community from such mid-block incursions. I also assumed that the zoning regulations that restrict new construction on a brownstone to 20 feet of the rear lot line would apply to building lots that were assembled by tearing down historic houses. A primary reason I supported Goat Hill’s inclusion in the expanded Carnegie Hill Landmark District was to protect the rear facades and open garden space.
These hidden gardens represent essential feeding grounds and sanctuaries to migrating warblers, winter refuges to juncos, and year round territory to blue jays and morning doves. At a time when New York City is initiating its Million Tree initiative to reduce the levels of carbon dioxide, I am shocked that greater efforts are not being made to preserve the established gardens that exist on 93rd Street.
Sincerely,
Julia Bradford
Green Links:
www.tpl.org (Trust For Public Land)
http://nymag.com/realestate/articles/04/tudorcity/gallery/5.htm
http://www.nyrp.org/greening/ (Bette Midler’s NYC Garden Restoration Foundation)
Save Marx Brothers Place 
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