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The buzz on Spring Street: Saw long to three leafy trees

BY THE VILLAGE SUN | A row of trees at the southwest corner of Spring Street and Sixth Avenue was recently felled, apparently to clear the way for installation of a subway elevator.

They had been planted only a few years ago as part of the renovation of Soho Square Park — which, technically speaking, is actually in Hudson Square, if you favor calling the west-of-Sixth-Avenue district that.

The trees before they were sawed down. (Photo by Harry Pincus)

Artist Harry Pincus, a longtime Soho resident who lives nearby, photographed the end of the trees early one recent morning. It made him reflect on how the neighborhood has not only become more bustling in recent decades — a popular Trader Joe’s market is located right across Spring Street from the spot — but also graced by more foliage.

The location is now ready for a subway elevator installation — yet no longer benefits from the healthy effects, including cooling and shade, of the former street trees. (Photo by Harry Pincus)

“When I first came here, this corner was remarkable for its lack of greenery,” he said. “It was hard to believe that a corner of Lower Manhattan called Spring Street and Avenue of the Americas could have a plaque on the light post with the seal of the United States, and yet be so lost and forgotten. Now it feels like the center of the universe. …”

Pincus said he reached out to Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who told him the plan was to install an elevator to serve the Spring Street subway station’s Downtown side.

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