Unsung moments botanical

New York City gets a botanical garden

By Shelbynj1!

  • New York Construction

    New York City gets a botanical garden for the city to enjoy
  • First One

    First One

    This was the first ever botanical garden in the United States, made by New York physician David Hosack.
  • The size of land he bought

    The size of land he bought

    The garden was 19+3⁄4 acres of land.
  • The property

    The property

    The property was intended to be a botanical garden, the purpose was to be native plants of this country, especially such as possess medicinal properties. Hosack landscaped the garden with many different kinds of exotic plants.

  • Low funds

    Hosack's funds were too low to support this project, and it was said that he was so busy with his endeavors in the creation of a new medical school that he had neither time nor money to continue the garden.

  • Someone else taking over

    Hosack continued to pay the garden's expenses until May 1811, when it was then placed under the management of the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

  • Abandonment

    Beginning in March 1817, the property was leased to many of individual tenants paying little or no rent, in return for obligations to maintain the grounds. But then the property had sunk "into utter decrepitude", and the botanical gardens eventually fell into decay due to abandonment.

  • Changing

    The property changed when twelve acres had been fully developed for residential use.

  • The beginning of Rockefeller Center

    In 1928, Columbia University agreed to lease a three-block portion of the land to John D. Rockefeller Jr. for the construction of Rockefeller Center.