Photo by E.A.T. At Eli Zabar’s market in Manhattan, produce is grown both in greenhouses and in open planting beds above the Vinegar Factory, with the output sold in the ground-floor market.

By Alex Wilson
Feature from Environmental Building News
February 1, 2009

Eli Zabar’s bakery and market on East 91st Street in Manhattan seems like a classic New York market. On my half-dozen visits over as many years, I’ve reveled in the gorgeously displayed vegetables and fruits, the vast array of cheeses, and the wide assortment of breads and pastries baked next door. But Zabar’s market, the Vinegar Factory (named in reference to a prior use of the property), is anything but typical. The sprawling facility connecting multiple buildings demonstrates an unconventional dimension of agriculture: farming that is intertwined with the urban landscape.

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