I just recently learned about the Bed-Stuy Aquarium, a beautiful make-shift aquarium created from a leaking fire hydrant at the corner of Hancock and Tompkins Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, however, the aquarium is no longer with us, as it was paved over by workers from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection early Friday morning, October 25.
Hell Gate NYC reports:
A little before 9 a.m. on Friday, Bed-Stuy residents were still in shock that the pond's habitat had been destroyed. A small bucket of goldfish that the DEP workers had apparently scooped up before pouring the cement sat next to the fresh cement . . .
Two DEP workers were standing by waiting to put the finishing touches on the cement. Asked who ordered the pond to be filled and why, one of them responded, "We're guys with shovels, we don't really make decisions."
"They were pretty mad. It's understandable," the worker said of the crowd that gathered. "The whole thing was that it was a tripping hazard, possibly. And the cement is supposed to secure the hydrant for a more secure environment."
Earlier this week, the Fire Department completed a semi-annual inspection of the leaky hydrant, and volunteers had emptied the pit to make improvements to the aquarium, but it seems all that work was for nothing.
One resident of Bed-Stuy, quoted in the Hell Gate NYC article said, "I don't know why they did not discuss this with the people?". . . "They said fuck everybody, we're gonna cover it up!" . . . "
What a shame to destroy something so simple that brought so much joy to a neighborhood.
Read the rest of the article here, and enjoy a video about the aquarium, taken before its destruction, below.
