Instagram

NYBG Reopens East Gate Following 10-Year, $3.3 Million Renovation

COUNCILMAN RITCHIE TORRES and New York Botanical Garden CEO and president Gregory Long cut the ceremonial ribbon to the newly renovated East Gate at the New York Botanical Garden.
Photo by Adeline Hanssen

For years, the East Gate was a “pretty rough way of getting to The New York Botanical Garden,” as the institution’s president Gregory Long put it. Now, with the swift snip of a yellow ribbon, the entrance was officially reopened for garden-goers on April 27, intended to increase foot traffic into the garden after a lengthy renovation.

The East Gate is one of three entryways to the garden, though it wasn’t it most popular. The gate is found at a geographically obscure section of Allerton, at the corner of Waring Avenue and Bronx Park East. Getting to the gate involves walking a meandering path and past an unwelcoming overpass. Signs heading to the gate are still not there, though NYBG officials told the Norwood News they’re working on it.

The brief ceremony capped ten years of collaboration between federal, state and city governments. For those largely involved in the gate’s renovations, some jokingly said they’ve been working on the opening “all their lives.”

Seeking Funds 
According to Long, finding financial support was arduous, slowing down renovations. The project eventually received a combined $3.3 million in private and public dollars, including $2.2 million from the city, $600,000 from the state and $485,000 from the federal government. These funds have helped create the restored entrance, a Green Materials Recycling Center, a composting bathroom and a sloping, winding pathway that leads to the abundant green oasis below.

“We call it the ‘Green Zone,’” said Long. “It was an engineering challenge, and also a design challenge. We certainly had a vision. We knew we needed it.”

Long notes the area has a deep ravine, which made construction of a wheel chair accessible path difficult. Creating a composting bathroom seemed to be one of the few options for that section of garden since there is no sewage system in place there.

The reopening of East Gate will make the Botanical Gardens more accessible to the public.  The two other entryways include the Mosholu Gate near Botanical Square and Conservatory Gate by Fordham.

The gate will be open during regular daytime hours with free grounds admissions on Wednesdays and Saturday between 9 and 10 a.m.

 

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

Like this story? Leave your comments below.