Impromptu Brooklyn 'aquarium' paved over by NYC officials
NEW YORK − A tiny, makeshift fish pond fed by a leaky fire hydrant thrived for weeks on a Brooklyn sidewalk while drawing intense social media buzz only to be unceremoniously paved over by the city.
The "Bed-Stuy Aquarium" was the size of a single sidewalk square but drew a big following among members of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, tourists and followers on Instagram, where it is described as a "vibe, not a park."
For almost three months the vibe's water was replenished from the hydrant at its center while locals provided goldfish, signs and even seating.
By last week, the aquarium had survived for almost three months amid the brownstones, bodegas, schools, restaurants and city bustle. The aquarium had morphed into urban street architecture.
There were concerns about the fate of the fish when winter hit the city. Floyd Washington, one of the creators of the pond, told Paste BN he and the other creators planned to shut down the pond in winter and reopen it every spring and summer.
New York's sidewalk fish pond is still going strong. Never heard of it? What to know.
The city’s Department of Environmental Protection, however, had other ideas. The agency has long described the dribbling hydrant as a safety hazard. On Friday, the "aquarium" was filled in with concrete.
“This allows us to keep New Yorkers safe by ensuring that the previously leaking fire hydrant doesn’t freeze over and become inoperable," the agency said in a statement released to local media, adding that the agency would work with community members to create an alternative for the "impromptu gem.”
The aquarium drew lots of buzz on social media during its run, and it drew plenty after its demise as well.
James Crugnale, who has lived in Brooklyn for more than a decade, described the aquarium as a local landmark that "sparked joy" in residents of the neighborhood.
"You would see people young and old come from all over Brooklyn to admire the puddle," Crugnale told Paste BN in an email. "I appreciate gathering places that provide a peaceful respite from the concrete jungle, like this one did."
Crugnale said he appreciates the "whimsy" that niches such as the aquarium can provide.
"We don’t need another bank, we need more shared spaces like this," he wrote.
Another New Yorker, Daphne Frias, wrote on X that "our mayor is a criminal and our public transportation is in shambles but sure let’s destroy the #BedStuyAquarium, a wholesome community project that was bringing a small glimpse of joy to peoples lives."
Others were happy to see it go. One response on Reddit claimed that "keeping that aquarium open was straight up animal abuse. I’ll never understand how people amused it for this long."