SCOUTING
FIELD NOTES

That Abandoned Rooftop Greenhouse on 60th Street

09/23/2010

From the ground, you’d never know there was anything special about the building at 409 East 60th Street…

…but, as anyone who’s ever walked across the Queensboro Bridge knows, it has a pretty great rooftop secret…

An abandoned rooftop greenhouse! And sadly, it won’t be around for much longer…

The now-ruined skeleton covers the entire top of the building…

…a whopping 5,000 square feet, as seen in this satellite picture:

What was the greenhouse for? There’s a clue in the ghost ad on the tower…

Terrestris was a plant store that opened around May, 1969, as announced in this issue of New York Magazine. Customers could walk through the rooftop greenhouse, which was once filled with indoor tropical plants, and even rent them (for parties and events) at 10-20 cents a day (1969 prices, of course).

From the 1973 issue of Cue Magazine: “There’s a large greenhouse on the rooftop of 409 East 60th Street which belongs to Terrestris and which is a joy to visit – guaranteed to turn even the most black-thumbed into a plant maniac. The greenhouse is filled to the rafters with Terrestris’ specialty – “plants that survive” – in all shapes, sizes, and varieties.”

The last mention of it I can find is from 1990 – anyone know when it finally went out of business? Really too bad it’s not around anymore…

I was hoping to get on the roof to take a few pictures. Unfortunately, the building was recently sold to Rockefeller University, who is planning to tear it down and put up a new facility. It’s not a major loss, as the building itself isn’t particularly special – though I do like the one bit of random brick design near the street level:

I was just always hoping someone would find a use for the greenhouses.

Two quick bits while I’m on East 60th. One, I really love the beautiful, totally classic NY apartment building that has managed to survive next door…

…made all the prettier with that black-windowed megalith in the background:

Two, I’m a big fan of old school NY parking garages like the one on the opposite side of Terrestris.

Not the most interesting in the city, but I dig the random turret (probably necessary for the elevator shaft)…

…the completely black-sooted windows…

…and best of all, the old sign (complete with ladder, though lighting long since removed), which advertises “transient” parking (short term).

Bonus: the reverse gives you an ascending look at a bunch of New York architecture styles.

-SCOUT

Many more posts in the archives!

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Lisa

08/28/2013

I’m sad to learn that Terrestris no longer exists. I worked in that hidden paradise in ’85-86. I worked the day that Hurricane Gloria threatened the city. It was thrilling! I often closed the store late at night and remember how abandoned it felt with not soul around. I would walk, wearing my roller skates, down the pitch black stairwell to slip out of the building unnoticed when one night I literally collided with the owner of the building. He seemed eccentric like Howard Hughes! Terrestris was truly one of the lessor know intriguing landmarks of New York! It’s sad that that glorious glass structure no longer exists.

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Marsala

10/09/2013

Terrestris was a fairyland for plant lovers. It was the first real plant store I had ever seen having bought all my plants in Woolworth’s. Terrestris had all the plants I read about, Ficus, Bromeliad, and Succulents of every kind. A dreamy, wonderful place. I live in that neighborhood now and would look up to see what was left of the name on the side of the building when ever I passed by.

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Susan

03/03/2014

I used to love shopping at Terrestris! A couple of weeks ago I was cleaning out a box (labeled “ancient history”) from storage and came across one of their catalogs! Unfortunately, I tossed it. Loved driving in from Jackson Heights, finding parking on the street and filling the car with plants.

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Alex

04/26/2014

When I came across this post I thought that the greenhouse might have been used as a location in a film called “They Might Be Giants”. There’s a scene where George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward visit a rooftop greenhouse. A couple of elderly shutins have sealed themselves off from the world in their greenhouse, where they grow their own food.

The film is on Netflix, so I found that scene (about 55 minutes in) and checked. The establishing shots make it look like a rooftop greenhouse, but you can’t see out of any windows when you’re inside, so I assume they built the set on a soundstage.

It’s strange how similar the scene in the movie is to this greenhouse, though. The scene in the movie is right next to a bridge (Brooklyn), which I had vaguely remembered.

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mark

10/08/2014

i used to work at the greenhouse in the 80’s – joe & jerry were the owners – lawton & rich were the managers — laurie and dave were like the original employees when joe & jerry took it over. — the place was the bomb — you’d meet a lot of “stars” there, and a lot of rich people that thought they were a hell of a lot better then you – the only downside.

my name is mark, and i miss all the guys and gals that worked there with me in the 80’s.

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1. Cheryl Carbetta Garn
  
  06/28/2015
  
  This I crazy and I have no idea if you will ever see this post but browsing my old NYC haunt’s I stumbled onto this old article. I was the Retail Operations Mgr. @ Terrestris for Joe & Jerry. (from the Montvale, NJ. store) around 83-84 when they also operated a third store in Stamford, CT. I believe I remember you Mark. Actually, I still have photos of everybody, probably including you (wrapping delivery plants with Ken) and have photos of Lawton, Brigham, Russell, Fitz, Marsha, George M., Claudia, Joyellen, Sydney, Andrew, Carlos, and of course Laurie & Dave (who whistled a lot) too. I’m sure I left somebody out but I’ve always remembered what a great group every one was to work with, though it was grueling work, we hustled !! Everyday could turn out to be amazingly unique. I especially remember when Joe & Jerry took everyone from the store down to the Bowery Theatre to treat us to a night of “Little Shop of Horrors” for our Christmas Sales party. J & J were by far, two of the best bosses I’ve had the pleasure working with and I think of them sometimes. So sad to see the shell of (my) Roosevelt Island look out like this — but back then, Terrestris was a cool, misty, green oasis escape atop the craziness of Manhattan below, even for a girl from Ohio. Cc: N.Carr /Scouting New York
  
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  1. Dave
    
    11/02/2015
    
    Hi Cheryl!,
    
    Dave here. I can’t believe after all these years to see this article about Terrestris. What a great, interesting and crazy place to work. Laurie and I used to commute in from Long Island everyday. I remember being the guy who would get on the roof to replace broken glass panes and the plastic film on the smaller hoop houses on the sides. I would wave to the people on the Tram as it went over. 8 stories in the air! I must have been nuts! Joe and Jerry were great guys to work for. Good memories.
    
    Hope to here back.
    Dave
    
    Reply
    1. Cheryl Carbetta Garn
      
      11/03/2015
      
      Hey Dave – Wow, I don’t know what’s stranger… finding this great article about Terrestris or the odds of “any” of our old crew would finding each other on this site ! She sure looks laid bare like ancient dinosaur bones, doesn’t she ? Wonder if the old building ended up becoming something or if it’s gone. The Terrestris pic’s I have are all inside the greenhouse and yes, your’s is of you waving down to me from that giant ladder, while repairing glass or plastic. I still tell people about the “misting wall” ! I do remember a few of the crew had to commute – and remember you & Laurie had to shlept all the way in from Long Island. (which I was cool w/ since you were usually in early !) I do often wonder where everybody is these days or how they got on ! I did hear back once from Joyellen, Carlos & John Kelly after I left NYC though. (Lol) If you want, you could message me on FB or reply back from here again. Either way, it would be great to hear back from you too. ~ I will look forward to it ! ~ cmcg
      
      Reply
pete sloan

06/16/2015

the rooftop greenhouse something Nero Wolfe might have had for his orchids…

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