Introducing Trevor’s New Rooftop Garden

By Carrie Berk

After what feels like endless talk and anticipation, the opening of Trevor Day School’s rooftop garden is here at last. The renovated outdoor space, located on the 13th floor of the Upper School, has been in the works ever since the 95th Street building first opened its doors in 2015. Scott Reisinger, Head of School, pinpoints the specific reason why the garden hasn’t been available to students and teachers over the past three years: “The project kind of sat for a while, as we kept getting enormous estimates of two million dollars to finish the space up there.” Additionally, there was a struggle in coming up with a design concept that would suit the building best. “The original plan was to turn it into another athletic space,” Mr. Reisinger notes. “But that would’ve required us to put fencing over the top of the space. We kept coming up against the challenge of a fence design that would adequately support the weight load for ice in the winters.” 

The completed rooftop garden with its colorful benches and city skyline views

The rooftop garden under construction

  The solution? Maya Lin, a former Trevor parent and renowned architect, volunteered to design the new rooftop space. “Maya is a tremendous human being,” Mr. Reisinger asserts. “She’s brilliant--she understands how people interact with the spaces around them and how we remain human through our interaction with those spaces.” Lin, acclaimed for her design of the Vietnam Wall, came to Trevor with a fresh idea for an outdoor area that the school had not thought of before. “She said, ‘Rather than another athletic space, might we entertain the idea of putting together some kind of a beautiful community garden space up there?’” the Head of School recalls. From there, Lin, Mr. Reisinger, and Ms. Lisa Lanzi--Director of Operations at Trevor--worked together to create a model of their dream rooftop garden, one that perfectly captured the communal essence of Trevor. “We wanted [a rooftop] that had green space and a space that could be used for dance and performances,” says Mr. Reisinger. “The idea was to make it a very flexible space, so students could go upstairs, think about nature, and teachers could even hold classes up there.” 

Maya Lin, a former Trevor parent and renowned architect, volunteered to design the space

“The garden is a place where people can go and relax, think, read...you name it. ”

Plantings underway for a green garden

  That was one of the most special aspects of the rooftop’s design: it could be used and appreciated by students and teachers alike. “Although the idea was to create a garden in the middle of the city with the best view, wouldn’t it be good and right for the school to also put in a concrete commitment to a wellness program?” Mr. Reisinger states. “It’s a commitment to balancing the idea of students and faculty. The garden is a place where people can go and relax, think, read...you name it. When I first visited this school five years ago, people kept telling me that if I became Head of School, I needed to build upon the culture of Trevor and make it more compassionate and balanced. They said that I had to make it more focused upon children and their needs.” The rooftop garden does just that, serving as a vehicle for wellness, education, and the arts. “There are lots of plants, seats, chairs, and a stage area up there that will really benefit our community as a whole.” 

  As finishing touches are made and fencing is finally installed, fundraising continues to flourish. “The auction night that parents had, as well as gala auctions, raised a lot of money. All the money has been put away to finish off the roof--we will put it to our advantage now. We’re hoping to do some kind of celebration. It’s going to be a wonderful green space not just for our two campuses, but for the east side and our neighborhood to do events up there. We’re very excited,” says Mr. Reisinger. As students and teachers start to utilize the space, one thing’s for sure: the rooftop garden is a triumph for Trevor in their mission to promote a sense of creativity and community within the school.