At harvest time this year, Eric Shutt had to say goodbye to his double plot in the center of the garden at 61st Street and Dorchester Avenue.
The University of Chicago, which allowed gardeners to use the space for a decade, has said it needs room to store equipment and load materials for the construction of the new Chicago Theological Seminary facility. The deadline for evacuation was the middle of November.
The university said it had made clear to gardeners all along that the land use was temporary.
“It’s a pretty disheveled, ratty-looking place, but it really is an oasis,” said Mr. Shutt, who grew tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers on his plot. He said gardeners from different neighborhoods had become friends.
“It’s really made me feel like I live someplace,” Mr. Shutt said. “Like I actually belong somewhere. It’s really been a very sad thing to see it go.”