For months, Sallomé Hralima and her two young daughters watched as a fire hydrant in their neighborhood was transformed into a destination in Brooklyn.
What started as a pool of water around just another gurgling hydrant in Bedford-Stuyvesant flourished into a small ecosystem when local residents brought in goldfish. Then came benches, a lending library for books and toys and décor. The hydrant even got a Google Maps designation: the Brooklyn Aquarium.
“It’s on our way to the park, to the grocery store, to the bus, to the train — we see it nearly every day and we always stop,” Ms. Hralima, 44, said. “It was constantly changing, so we would go look to see what had been added.”
The aquarium, as residents called it, was “a conversation piece” in the neighborhood, she said.
But on Friday morning, when Ms. Hralima woke up early to run to the grocery store, she discovered a very different scene. The city’s Department of Environmental Protection was removing the fish, the colorful pebbles and even the fake fauna of their little oasis, and paving over the pond.
In a statement, the city agency said the move came after a fire department inspection found the hydrant to be leaky, which put it at risk of freezing and becoming inoperable. A lock was installed to prevent it from leaking further, and new concrete was poured to “ensure pedestrian safety,” it said.
“We’re looking forward to working with community members to find an appropriate alternative location for this impromptu gem, including in a community garden half a block away,” the statement said.
That was news to Jequan Irving, 46, who had spent Thursday rebuilding the aquarium, after he said the fire department inspection sent water gushing out of the hydrant, killing the fish. Mr. Irving and two friends had purchased 200 more fish for the pond and installed a plastic membrane around the hydrant to make the pond even deeper.
On Friday afternoon, a bucket held what appeared to be about a dozen of them.
Residents had placed flowers and votive candles in memoriam. The news, reported by the local news site Hell Gate, ricocheted across social media, where the aquarium had gained renown.
Mr. Irving said that no one from the city had been in touch with him or his partners. He said he was heartbroken.
“One thing people don’t realize is that it’s not like it brought this community together, it’s more that the community has always been there,” he said. “The fish broadcast that and showed the world that we do stick together and we do love our community and neighborhood.”
Hydrants have been a focal point of New York City summers for generations, providing a steady stream of cool relief, especially in lower-income neighborhoods. Mr. Irving, who has lived his entire life near this intersection, and his friends took it one step further on the corner of Hancock Street and Tompkins Avenue. What started as a whim and a dare turned into a way to show how much they cared about their community, he said.
Mr. Irving said that the group’s intention was to use the aquarium as a teaching tool for kids in the neighborhood, and that he hoped to work with local public schools.
“Every summer in New York City you’re going to find fire hydrants,” Mr. Irving said. “It just so happens that we’re putting fish in there — and now it’s a problem.”
City agencies were not the only ones who had a problem with the goldfish. In August, an animal lover freed the fish from what was still a sidewalk gravel pit turned pond, sparking debate on social media and becoming a flashpoint for conversations about gentrification in the historically Black neighborhood.
Councilman Chi Ossé, who represents Bedford-Stuyvesant, noted the speed at which the sidewalk was paved over in a social media post.
“Meanwhile, we can’t get sidewalks repaired that pose danger to our seniors,” he wrote. “My office is well aware of this and we’re actively working on a solution!”
Ms. Hralima, who has lived in Bedford-Stuyvesant since 2003, said she was proud that Mr. Irving and other locals had turned a leaky problem into “a beautiful community project,” and she saw the removal of the pond as another sign of gentrification intensifying.
“I’m not mad at folks who are pro-life for the fish and want the animals to be in a safe space, but to me the answer to that is not calling 311,” she said. “The answer is to have a conversation.”
“These goldfish might have radicalized me,” she added.
On Friday afternoon, as officers with the city’s Environmental Protection Police stood watch in a parked pickup truck, area residents stopped by to pay their respects to the community pond. For many, the news came as a surprise. Others were furious.
Kayla Mero, 24, was visiting from Charlotte, N.C., and learned about the aquarium on social media only to find it paved over. “It’s very disappointing,” she said. There is so much else that “they could be worrying about,” she said, using an expletive.
Tyrone Johnson, 53, has lived in the neighborhood for most of his life. He said the aquarium gave people enjoyment and something to do, be it stopping to feed the fish or take pictures. The aquarium had become a sightseeing destination.
“It was something amazing for the first time,” Mr. Johnson said. “They just came and they took it.”
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