Where Have All The Flowers Gone?
The maps on the walls of New York Metro Stations still have a large section of Chelsea designated the Flower District. At some point in history, the City Managers recognized this area as an important destination, for locals as well as tourists. It was a landmark! The Flower District was a small stretch from 26th to 29th, along and off Sixth Avenue. It was home to a large concentration of New York City's wholesale and retail florists. A virtual oasis of beauty in the middle of Manhattan, this was a wonderful area to stroll on a warm spring morning. Virtually any plant can be found or ordered through these vendors
History Flower merchants are a Manhattan tradition that extends back to the 19th century, when flower pushcarts and shops, many owned by immigrants from Germany, Italy, Eastern Europe and especially Greece, emerged to cater to rising demand. Growers from Long Island took the ferry into the city and went from retailer to retailer, selling their wares.
By the 1870's, these transactions were consolidated near the East 34th Street ferry landing. With the emergence of the site, a new class of businessman appeared: the flower wholesaler, who gathered cut flowers from growers and sold them to retailers for a commission.
By the mid-1890's most wholesalers had moved to Sixth Avenue between 26th and 29th Streets. They wanted to be closer to their customers, both the upscale department stores along Ladies' Mile and the elegant residences on Fifth Avenue, but also the theaters, restaurants and brothels in the nearby Tenderloin district. By the 1930's, millions of flowers were being sold around Sixth Avenue and 28th Street, including 500,000 Easter lilies from Bermuda and 30,000 tulips from Holland.
The flower district soon became entrenched and flourished there into the 1970's. In its heyday, it drew buyers from throughout the metropolitan region and even from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. More tons of flowers changed hands in New York than anywhere in the world except Amsterdam, according to a 1977 newspaper article.
Going, Going, Almost Gone It has long been foreseeable that the flower district would have to reconvene elsewhere or dissolve entirely. And as the apartment high-rises have crept up along Sixth in recent years, the writing is legibly on the wall.
Some merchants have the deed to those walls and they may continue to operate out of buildings they own for a period of time. But with new high-rises such as the Remy underway, and a new luxury hotel to come, it's seems unlikely at this late date that a flower district will remain in that location – or any location in Manhattan. Eviction notices have gone out to merchants along 28th Street, marking the final chapter in the long demise of the flower district. The city isn't stepping in the way they did with the Fulton Fish Market. In that case, the city owned the underlying (and valuable) property. In the flower district, it's much more fragmented, characterized over the years by fiercely independent merchants who had difficulty agreeing on a new location. "The market is not going to go anywhere." "Nobody can agree on the time of day. You want them to move to a new location? No way." What would it take? "A miracle."
The remaining shops are surrounded by orange construction cones and tape. The towering condominiums cast their shadows on the window displays. "Death Shrouds", hoping to slowly tap the last remaining will of the flower merchants.
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