I turned my Manhattan stoop into an art project. It brought my neighborhood together.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kristi Hemric. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I had always dreamed of buying a townhouse in Manhattan, and when I did, I knew I had to decorate my stoop. I’m from Dallas, and everyone decorates the front of their houses for every single holiday.

But soon after moving in, the building next door had work being done, and scaffolding had gone up and crossed onto my property line, covering my skinny townhouse.

Instead of complaining about it, I decided to make it as pretty as I could — less ugly — with pink flowers. I thought my neighbors wouldn’t like it, but they loved an injection…

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