The Farm at the Javits Center: A Visit to the Rooftop Farm in Hell’s Kitchen

The verb “to schlep” seems peculiarly suited to New York City, and a walk from the Garment District through Hell’s Kitchen towards the Hudson River is quite a schlep. Of course, there are other ways to get to North Javits, the events consortium’s latest addition on 11th Avenue, such as via Hudson Yards, at the end of the High Line. There have been some proper pockets of greening on Manhattan’s west side over the last decade and a half (including the addition of Little Island, a garden pier by 14th Street), but the sights and sounds around this part of town still mainly consist of shiny new skyscrapers and relentless drilling.

It is a great relief, then, for a visitor to step out on to the one-acre roof that is the Farm at the Javits Center, established in 2021 in a collaboration with Brooklyn Grange. The most noticeable sound is the chirping of crickets.

Photography by Valery Rizzo for Gardenista.

The people at the Javits Center are smart, and from the beginning they sought the input of Brooklyn Grange, experts in large-scale rooftop farms. (See the rooftop garden they designed for Vice Media here.) This one is only entering its third year but it doesn’t take long to establish an ecosystem. Up here on the fourth floor, the senses are immediately focused on the macro: a grasshopper jumping, a mix of honeybees and solitary native bees working on late-blooming celosia flowers.

The roof gardens at North Javits were implemented at the same time as the new building’s construction, and they have benefitted from forward planning. Beds of different depths accommodate fruit trees in three feet of soil, as well as rows of leafy crops and perennial shrubs of currants and berries in beds that are 12-18 inches deep. Excess rainwater runs into a tank under the roof (with a holding capacity of 344,000 gallons) where it is filtered and returned to the farm for irrigation.

The Farm at the Javits Center is the definition of “state of the art” with a pavilion shaped like an airline hangar that can seat several thousand people. It is glazed at either end for maximum views of the farm-to-table experience, with a smooth terrace around it for outdoor gatherings. Should weather suddenly change, giant “garage doors” open or close in 45 seconds.

With all this infrastructure and tons of space, the events space and farm can accommodate the most precise requirements. They can produce tomatoes of a certain diameter on a specific date; it’s a scientific approach to growing and feeding. The chefs pride themselves on their growing proficiency at “total food utilization practices,” traditionally known as pickling, canning and freezing. Inevitable excess goes to Rethink Food and other donation partners.

The ambition and scope of the foodscape operated by Brooklyn Grange includes a hydroponic greenhouse for winter productivity. The biodiversity of the food forest, part of the 38-tree orchard, creates a more complex and resilient space in which to grow food for people and other species—all of whom desperately need green infrastructure in any built environment.