Members and supporters of the Jefferson Market Garden earlier this month celebrated its 40th anniversary with a fundraiser at the Lion restaurant, at 62 W. Ninth St. The green oasis was famously created in the heart of the central Village, at Sixth and Greenwich Aves., on the site of the former Women’s House of Detention after the jailhouse was razed.
The garden members honored longtime West Villager Barry Benepe, whose vision gave New York the Greenmarkets, and his son, Adrian Benepe, former commissioner of the city’s Parks Department. They both received the coveted Brooke Astor Award for Outstanding Contributions to Urban Gardens.
At the brief ceremony, Elizabeth Butson, the Jefferson Market Garden’s chairperson and The Villager’s former publisher, said of the elder Benepe, “Almost 40 years ago, Barry Benepe, a young and idealistic urban planner, decided that New York City needed greenmarkets. The farmers were having a difficult time. People in the city were shopping in supermarkets and missing the taste of fresh produce.
“In 1976, the first Greenmarket opened at 59th St. and Second Ave. Soon after, Barry was asked to revive Union Square, which itself was going through a bad time. The rest is history. Great New York history.
“Today we have 59 Greenmarkets in the five boroughs and the Union Square Greenmarket is the jewel among Greenmarkets. Barry Benepe’s Greenmarket concept has changed the way we shop and eat.”
Of the younger Benepe, Butson said, “The onetime city park ranger who always loved parks rose to become New York’s Parks commissioner under the Bloomberg administration. During his 11-year tenure as Parks commissioner, Adrian was instrumental in restoring historic parks, adding 730 acres of new parkland and laying the groundwork for an additional 2,000 acres. Under his leadership, the Parks Department put parks in schoolyards, parks on old brownfield industrial sites, parks on derelict railroad spurs” — referring to the enormously popular High Line — “spreading green spaces around the city.
“We honor Adrian today for his dedication and outstanding accomplishments to make New York City a place where gardens, parks and public spaces matter.”
Adrian Benepe is currently at the Trust for Public Land, where he is the senior vice president and director of city park development, focusing on public/private partnerships.
