14th St Terraces

Terraced Country Garden Rises in Manhattan

A country garden is comfortable, informal, invites you to move about; there are intriguing spaces to visit and views from many different places. This space however, was the tiny, almost inaccessible backyard of a ground floor co-op apartment in Manhattan. The view was uninspiring: a crumbling, 5’ tall concrete block retaining wall, with most of the ‘garden’ space at the top.

From this we created a lush, dramatically terraced garden, with 3 levels, all easily accessible by gently curving stone steps that invite you to rise. Though the whole extent of the garden is now visible, the details of the terraces are partially obscured by the lush plantings and the curve of the stairs; the terraces are only fully revealed as you move up through them. All the new steps and retaining walls are built of rough, informal stone with a comfortable, country feel. This garden is a beautiful way to take a stroll in the country -- without leaving New York City