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Cooper Square is a junction of streets in
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
located at the confluence of the neighborhoods of
Bowery
The Bowery () is a street and neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th Street in the north.Jackson, Kenneth L. "B ...
to the south,
NoHo
NoHo, short for North of Houston Street (as contrasted with SoHo), is a primarily residential neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is bounded by Mercer Street to the west and the Bowery to the east, ...
to the west and southwest,
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
to the west and northwest, the
East Village to the north and east, and the
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally an im ...
to the southeast.
Description
Beginning at its southern end where the
Bowery
The Bowery () is a street and neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th Street in the north.Jackson, Kenneth L. "B ...
crosses
East 4th Street, the road then splits in two, both with Cooper Square addresses, until they cross
Astor Place
Astor Place is a one-block street in NoHo/ East Village, in the lower part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs from Broadway in the west (just below East 8th Street) to Lafayette Street. The street encompasses two plazas at th ...
between
East 8th Street and
St. Marks Place and become
Fourth Avenue (the western street) and
Third Avenue
Third Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, as well as in the center portion of the Bronx. Its southern end is at Astor Place and St. Mark's Place. It transitions into Cooper Square ...
(the eastern street).
Because Bowery, Third Avenue and both sides of Cooper Square are two-way streets, the intersection is complex, and difficult for pedestrians to navigate, especially considering that it is part of a city-approved through-truck route. The
New York City Department of Transportation
The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) is the agency of the government of New York City responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure. Ydanis Rodriguez is the Commissioner of the Departm ...
has announced plans to "normalize" traffic, increase the size of the park in the middle of the square, and create a new community park in the area.
History
When the square was initially opened as a public space in 1850, it was named "Stuyvesant Square", despite there already being a "
Stuyvesant Square
Stuyvesant Square is the name of both a park and its surrounding neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The park is located between 15th Street, 17th Street, Rutherford Place, and Nathan D. Perlman Place (formerly Livingston ...
" about a half-mile north on
Second Avenue. It was renamed for
Peter Cooper
Peter Cooper (February 12, 1791April 4, 1883) was an American industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and politician. He designed and built the first American steam locomotive, the ''Tom Thumb'', founded the Cooper Union for the Advancement of S ...
, the 19th Century industrialist and philanthropist, after his death in 1883. In 1853, Cooper had broken ground for
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...
, an institution founded on the belief that high-quality education should be available to all who qualified, including women – a radical notion at the time – without cost. It continued to provide every student with a full-tuition scholarship until 2014. Frederick A. Peterson's Cooper Union Foundation Building on the north end of the square, the oldest existing American building framed with steel beams, still stands where it was located when it opened in 1859, but the interior was extensively reconstructed in 1975 not only to modernize it, but also to fulfill one of Cooper's plans which was never realized at the time: the installation of a round elevator. The exterior of the building was restored in 1999 as well.
Downtown of the Foundation Building is a small park, Cooper Triangle, which includes a monument dedicated to Peter Cooper. Across the street, at 41 Cooper Square, is the school's newest building, the
New Academic Building, designed by Thom Mayne of
Morphosis
Morphosis Architects is an interdisciplinary architectural and design practice based in Los Angeles and New York City.
History
The firm was informally founded in 1972 by Michael Brickler, Thom Mayne, Livio Santini and James Stafford. Michael Rot ...
.
''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
''s headquarters are on the western side of the square, as are classroom buildings of
Grace Church School
Grace Church School is a private school whose original building is located at 86 Fourth Avenue between East 10th and East 12th Streets in the East Village neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The school was founded i ...
and
Kaplan, Inc.
Kaplan, Inc. is an American for-profit corporation that provides educational and training services to colleges, universities, businesses and individuals around the world. Founded in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan, the company offers a variety of test prepa ...
The sleek, modern high-rise
Cooper Square Hotel
The Standard, East Village, formerly the Cooper Square Hotel, is a 21-story high-rise luxury hotel located at 25 Cooper Square in lower Manhattan, New York City. The tower was designed by Carlos Zapata Studio and structurally engineered by Les ...
at 25 is one of the newest buildings on the square.
The
New York City Department of Transportation
The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) is the agency of the government of New York City responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure. Ydanis Rodriguez is the Commissioner of the Departm ...
's "Reconstruction of Astor Place and Cooper Square" plan
["Reconstruction of Astor Place and Cooper Square"]
New York City Department of Transportation
The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) is the agency of the government of New York City responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure. Ydanis Rodriguez is the Commissioner of the Departm ...
(January 6, 2011) calls for some changes to be made to Cooper Square beginning in 2013. The western leg of the square will be a northbound bus-only lane, from a two-way multi-use roadway. The confusing intersection of the two legs at Fifth Street would become a simple "Village Plaza", with sidewalk extensions and a small
amphitheater
An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
on the western sidewalk. Finally, Cooper Triangle would be renovated, and expanded to make a new "Cooper Walk" leading up to Cooper Union. New trees would be planted up and down the square on both sides.
[
]
Gallery
File:Cooper Union by David Shankbone crop.jpg, The Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...
's Foundation Building has anchored the north end of the square since 1859
File:Peter Cooper summer sunny jeh.jpg, The monument to Peter Cooper
Peter Cooper (February 12, 1791April 4, 1883) was an American industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and politician. He designed and built the first American steam locomotive, the ''Tom Thumb'', founded the Cooper Union for the Advancement of S ...
sits between the Foundation Building and the park at Cooper Triangle
File:Metropolitan Savings Bank Building.jpg, ''#61:'' This building was built in 1867 as a bank, but has been a church since 1937. (New York City Landmark
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
, 1969)
File:Cooper Union New Academic Building from north.jpg, ''#41:'' Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...
's New Academic Building, designed by Thom Mayne
Thom Mayne (born January 19, 1944) is an American architect. He is based in Los Angeles. In 1972, Mayne helped found the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), where he is a trustee and the coordinator of the Design of Cities p ...
, opened in Summer 2009
File:Cooper Square Old & New.jpg, ''#35:'' The modest building on the left was owned in the early 19th century by a great-grandson of Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Net ...
. It was demolished for new construction.
File:Cooper Square Hotel 25 Cooper Square ground.jpg, ''#25:'' The luxury The Standard, East Village
The Standard, East Village, formerly the Cooper Square Hotel, is a 21-story high-rise luxury hotel located at 25 Cooper Square in lower Manhattan, New York City. The tower was designed by Carlos Zapata Studio and structurally engineered by Les ...
hotel, an ultra-modern 21-story tower, opened in 2008 as the Cooper Square Hotel
File:Village Voice 36 Cooper Square.jpg, ''#36:'' As of December 2012, houses the headquarters of ''The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' and of digital firms including curbed.com and 9Threads.
See also
*Astor Place
Astor Place is a one-block street in NoHo/ East Village, in the lower part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs from Broadway in the west (just below East 8th Street) to Lafayette Street. The street encompasses two plazas at th ...
References
Notes
External links
The Cooper Square Committee
Cooper Union's website
{{East Village, Manhattan
Squares in Manhattan
East Village, Manhattan
Streets in Manhattan