This morning, the $21 million Astor Place Reconstruction project, designed by WXY Architecture, was officially reopened to the public with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Of particular interest to New Yorkers was the removal of the barriers around the Alamo cube, which was returned to and reinstalled at this location on November 1st. We had several concerned questions via social media whether the cube would be forever blocked off and we are happy to report that as of this morning, you can spin the cube again.
As you’ve seen under construction, the Astor Place project created two new pedestrian plazas – one around the cube and one behind Cooper Union – which is a total of 42,000 square feet added. As part of the project, the Alamo cube was rehabilitated at ac cost of $180,000 and some of Mosaic Man’s mosaic poles were returned, in conjunction with efforts from the Village Alliance.
As part of the redesign, there has been 16,000 square feet of new planting areas added with new trees and an automated in-ground irrigation system. There’s 6,700 new square feet of permeable pavement and 2,100 square feet of curbside rain gardens for stormwater management. There are also 100 new bike racks.
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy (HarperOne, forthcoming) Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
