Astor Place
;)
;)
;)
;)
Having written about 499 other blocks, it's often surprising what streets I've neglected to photograph thus far. Astor Place was certainly high on that list. It's possible that I'm in the neighborhood so often for other reasons that I'll often forget that it's not on the site. Now, to be fair this post is mostly covering the public square that is bound by 9th street, Broadway, Cooper Square and not Astor Place the street (which begins at Broadway and ends at Cooper Square). So, to those puritanical cartographers out there, I apologize.
Named, of course, after John Jacob Astor, once the wealthiest man in the United States, the square has been home to many different institutions over the years. The Subway station below the intersection features tera cotta plaques of beavers to commemorate the fur trade from which Astor got his riches. While the neighborhood isn't immune to redevelopment, historic buildings like the Cooper Union Hall have been able to stand the test of time. At one point the Square was home to two Starbucks locations, though that's since been paired down to a more reasonable one.
Two notable items in the center of the traffic islands include Tony Rosenthal's sculpture named "The Alamo" and a recreation of an original 1904 NYC Subway entrance directly to the north. Both are popular landmarks for meeting up.
K-Mart has its only Manhattan outpost in Astor Place, and even has a gaudy Subway-accessible entrance in its basement. There aren't too many other chain stores in the area, partially because there isn't enough space. A few bodegas and local shops line the northern end, and The Public Theater and The Astor Place Theater take up much of Lafayette Street south of the square, leaving only a small spot for Walgreens (previously Barnes and Nobel and Astor Wine & Liquor). Besides, the wide open streets allow for some rather stunning views up and down the avenues. The size of the intersection is almost perfect. It's not so big that it turns into Times or Union Square, but not so small that it's forgotten about (well, except by me, it seems).
Friday, November 5, 2010 at 8:00AM
Reader Comments (5)
Congrats on your 500th block!
That's not the only Kmart in Manhattan. There's one on 34th Street, right by Penn Station.
Also, that "gaudy Subway-accessible entrance" was originally built for Wanamakers, which in its heyday was a large department store long before Kmart existed. Not only did it fill every floor of the building where the Kmart currently resides (yet had no escalators!), but it retained its original store on the block just north of there which burned down and was replaced by that "Stewart House" mid-century apartment building. As you can imagine, it was kind of a big deal.
I was going to mention the Kmart on 34th Street, but Tacony beat me to it. Many's the hours I have sat on the crosstown bus, staring at that Kmart as I wait for everyone to shuffle on and off at Penn Station. As a true New Yorker, I have never darkened it's door. But I can't make my eyes un-see it as I wait for people the exit the bus. Use the back door to exit, people. It's not a hard concept to grasp!!
Actually, there were 3 Starbucks at Astor Place. One of the missing was in the former Cooper Union Engineering Building (the space is now a coffee shop run by the New York Film Academy) and the other was inside the Barnes & Noble (also vanished.)
Great block to feature for #500. Kate's comment about never darkening the doorway of a Kmart got me laughing. Good Job NYC Grid!