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40°43′43″N 73°59′26″W / 40.72861°N 73.99056°W / 40.72861; -73.99056

Cooper Square is a junction of streets in Lower Manhattan, New York City located at the confluence of the neighborhoods of Bowery to the south, NoHo to the west and southwest, Greenwich Village to the west and northwest, the East Village to the north and east, and the Lower East Side to the southeast.

Cooper Square looking uptown in 1957...

...and in 2008

Description

Beginning at its southern end when the Bowery crosses East 4th Street, the road then splits in two, both with Cooper Square addresses, until they cross Astor Place between East 8th Street and St. Marks Place and become Fourth Avenue (the western street) and Third Avenue (the eastern street).^[1]^[2]

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.^[3] The New York City Department of Transportation 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.^[4]

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" about a half-mile north on Second Avenue. It was then named Fourth Avenue Park. It was renamed Cooper Square for Peter Cooper, the 19th Century industrialist, inventor, and philanthropist, after his death in 1883.^[5]^[6] Cooper had less than one year of formal education. He had dedicated his wealth to establish Cooper Union. In 1853, Cooper had broken ground for Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, 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. He wanted to provide education to immigrants and children. He believed everyone should deserves to get an education for free.^[7] It continued to provide every student with a full-tuition scholarship until 2014.^[8] Frederick A. Peterson's Cooper Union Foundation Building on the north end of the square, the oldest existing American building framed with steel beams,^[9] 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.^[10]

Downtown of the Foundation Building is a small park, Cooper Triangle, which includes a monument dedicated to Peter Cooper.^[11] An alumni of the school, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, was commissioned to make this monument for Peter Cooper after his death in 1883. The monument was completed and put up in 1897. Cooper Square was officially open for everyone to enjoy and had added benches in 1999.^[7] Also located in front of the monument is the Cooper Union Library and the Great Hall at Cooper Square. Across the street, at 41 Cooper Square, is the school's newest building, the New Academic Building, designed by Thom Mayne of Morphosis.^[12]^[13]

The Village Voice's headquarters are on the western side of the square, as are classroom buildings of Grace Church School and Kaplan, Inc.^[14]^[15]^[16] The sleek, modern high-rise Cooper Square Hotel at 25 is one of the newest buildings on the square.^[17]^[18]

The New York City Department of Transportation's "Reconstruction of Astor Place and Cooper Square" plan^[19] 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 on the western sidewalk. Finally, Cooper Triangle would be renovated, and expanded to make a new "Cooper Walk", where it is lined with trees and benches leading up to Cooper Union. New trees would be planted up and down the square on both sides.^[19]With the already existing pine oak trees, the proposed design for the reconstruction of Astor Place and Cooper Square is adding in more different types of trees such as Willow Oak, Saw tooth Oak, and Black Gum trees, as well as adding in many different plants and flowers such as foamflower, Aster, Geranium, etc. Infiltration planters are also being added. ^[20]

Cooper Square along with Cooper Triangle and Astor Place will be adding in more seating areas. This area is particularly busy with many students, workers, and pedestrians. There will graphite seating blocks, zipper benches, and river benches (only in Cooper Park).There will also be a water fountain installed. There will be NYC bike racks all along the site. There will be more seating areas and trees planted. There will be bike racks scattered around the area. Since there are a lot of people commuting to this area, there are also a lot of students and local residents, the city is adding in benches and tables for pedestrians to sit. The sidewalks have been expanded and is being turned into a pedestrian plaza. The proposed design includes adding 64 new trees and 113 new bike racks. ^[19]

Gallery

The Cooper Union's Foundation Building has anchored the north end of the square since 1859
The monument to Peter Cooper sits between the Foundation Building and the park at Cooper Triangle
#61: This building was built in 1867 as a bank, but has been a church since 1937. (New York City Landmark, 1969^[21])
#41: Cooper Union's New Academic Building, designed by Thom Mayne, opened in Summer 2009
#35: The modest building on the left was owned in the early 19th century by a great-grandson of Peter Stuyvesant.^[22] It was demolished for new construction.
#25: The luxury The Standard, East Village hotel, an ultra-modern 21-story tower, opened in 2008 as the Cooper Square Hotel
#36: As of December 2012, houses the headquarters of The Village Voice and of digital firms including curbed.com and 9Threads.
#72: Although it has a Lafayette Street address (#445), this condominium building, designed by Charles Gwathmey and completed in 2004, also sits on Cooper Square at what would be #72.

References

Notes

^ Example.org, more text.
^ Rosenberg, Andrew and Dunford, Martin. The Rough Guide to New York City New York: Penguin, 2012. ISBN 1405390220. "Just east of Astor Place is Cooper Square, a busy crossroads formed by the intersection of Bowery, Third and Fourth avenues and St. Mark's/East 8th Street..."
^ "NYC Through Truck Routes" on the NYC Department of Transportation website (June 2010)
^ Pedestrians and Sidewalks: East Village, Astor Place - Cooper Square" NYC Department of Transportation website
^ "S" on Old Streets of New York]
^ Moscow, Henry (1978). The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street Names and Their Origins. New York: Hagstrom Company. ISBN 978-0-8232-1275-0.
^ ^a ^b "Cooper Triangle Monuments - Peter Cooper : NYC Parks". www.nycgovparks.org. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
^ Kaminer, Ariel (April 23, 2013). "College Ends Free Tuition, and an Era". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^ Actually, steel railroad tracks used as beams. White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000). AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5.
^ White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000). AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5.
^ "Cooper Triangle : NYC Parks". Nycgovparks.org. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
^ "The Civic Value of a Bold Statement". The New York Times. June 5, 2009.
^ "Cooper Union | Morphopedia | Morphosis Architects". Morphopedia. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
^ "New York About Us Village Voice". Villagevoice.com. May 21, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
^ "Grace Church School: Community". Gcschool.org. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
^ "Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions". Store.kaptest.com. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
^ "The Story" at the Cooper Square Hotel website
^ "Cooper Square Hotel" coverage at Curbed
^ ^a ^b ^c "Reconstruction of Astor Place and Cooper Square" New York City Department of Transportation (January 6, 2011)
^ "Reconstruction of Astor Place and Cooper Square" (PDF). www.nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation, New York City Department of Design + Construction, City of New York Parks & Recreation. November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
^ New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1., p.65
^ Moss, Jeremiah (July 23, 2008). Vanishing NY "35 Cooper Square". Jeremiah's Vanishing New York. Retrieved December 21, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

External links

[1] Example.org, more text.

[2] Rosenberg, Andrew and Dunford, Martin. The Rough Guide to New York City New York: Penguin, 2012. ISBN 1405390220. "Just east of Astor Place is Cooper Square, a busy crossroads formed by the intersection of Bowery, Third and Fourth avenues and St. Mark's/East 8th Street..."

[3] "NYC Through Truck Routes" on the NYC Department of Transportation website (June 2010)

[4] Pedestrians and Sidewalks: East Village, Astor Place - Cooper Square" NYC Department of Transportation website

[5] "S" on Old Streets of New York]

[6] Moscow, Henry (1978). The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street Names and Their Origins. New York: Hagstrom Company. ISBN 978-0-8232-1275-0.

[Cooper_Triangle_Monuments-7] "Cooper Triangle Monuments - Peter Cooper : NYC Parks". www.nycgovparks.org. Retrieved November 17, 2016.

[8] Kaminer, Ariel (April 23, 2013). "College Ends Free Tuition, and an Era". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2013.

[9] Actually, steel railroad tracks used as beams. White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000). AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5.

[10] White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000). AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5.

[11] "Cooper Triangle : NYC Parks". Nycgovparks.org. Retrieved June 6, 2014.

[12] "The Civic Value of a Bold Statement". The New York Times. June 5, 2009.

[13] "Cooper Union | Morphopedia | Morphosis Architects". Morphopedia. Retrieved June 6, 2014.

[14] "New York About Us Village Voice". Villagevoice.com. May 21, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2014.

[15] "Grace Church School: Community". Gcschool.org. Retrieved June 6, 2014.

[16] "Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions". Store.kaptest.com. Retrieved June 6, 2014.

[17] "The Story" at the Cooper Square Hotel website

[18] "Cooper Square Hotel" coverage at Curbed

[recon-19] "Reconstruction of Astor Place and Cooper Square" New York City Department of Transportation (January 6, 2011)

[20] "Reconstruction of Astor Place and Cooper Square" (PDF). www.nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation, New York City Department of Design + Construction, City of New York Parks & Recreation. November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016.

[21] New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1., p.65

[22] Moss, Jeremiah (July 23, 2008). Vanishing NY "35 Cooper Square". Jeremiah's Vanishing New York. Retrieved December 21, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

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 ==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]]" about a half-mile north on [[Second Avenue (Manhattan)|Second Avenue]]. It was then named Fourth Avenue Park. It was renamed Cooper Square for [[Peter Cooper]], the 19th Century industrialist, inventor, and philanthropist, after his death in 1883.<ref>[http://www.oldstreets.com/index.asp?letter=S "S"] on ''Old Streets of New York'']</ref><ref>{{cite streetbook}}</ref>   Cooper had less than one year of formal education. He had dedicated his wealth to establish [[Cooper Union]]. In 1853, Cooper had broken ground for [[Cooper Union|Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art]], an institution founded on the belief that high-quality education should be available to all who qualified, including women &ndash; a radical notion at the time &ndash; without cost. He wanted to provide education to immigrants and children. He believed everyone should deserves to get an education for free. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/cooper-triangle/monuments/328|title=Cooper Triangle Monuments - Peter Cooper : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=2016-11-17}}</ref>  It continued to provide every student with a full-tuition scholarship until 2014.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kaminer|first=Ariel|title=College Ends Free Tuition, and an Era|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/nyregion/cooper-union-to-charge-undergraduates-tuition.html?pagewanted=all|accessdate=26 May 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 23, 2013}}</ref>  Frederick A. Peterson's Cooper Union Foundation Building on the north end of the square, the oldest existing American building framed with steel beams,<ref>Actually, steel railroad tracks used as beams. {{cite AIA4}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite AIA4}}</ref>
+When the square was initially opened as a public space in 1850, it was named "Stuyvesant Square", despite there already being a "[[Stuyvesant Square]]" about a half-mile north on [[Second Avenue (Manhattan)|Second Avenue]]. It was then named Fourth Avenue Park. It was renamed Cooper Square for [[Peter Cooper]], the 19th Century industrialist, inventor, and philanthropist, after his death in 1883.<ref>[http://www.oldstreets.com/index.asp?letter=S "S"] on ''Old Streets of New York'']</ref><ref>{{cite streetbook}}</ref>   Cooper had less than one year of formal education. He had dedicated his wealth to establish [[Cooper Union]]. In 1853, Cooper had broken ground for [[Cooper Union|Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art]], an institution founded on the belief that high-quality education should be available to all who qualified, including women &ndash; a radical notion at the time &ndash; without cost. He wanted to provide education to immigrants and children. He believed everyone should deserves to get an education for free.<ref name="Cooper Triangle Monuments"/> It continued to provide every student with a full-tuition scholarship until 2014.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kaminer|first=Ariel|title=College Ends Free Tuition, and an Era|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/nyregion/cooper-union-to-charge-undergraduates-tuition.html?pagewanted=all|accessdate=26 May 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 23, 2013}}</ref>  Frederick A. Peterson's Cooper Union Foundation Building on the north end of the square, the oldest existing American building framed with steel beams,<ref>Actually, steel railroad tracks used as beams. {{cite AIA4}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite AIA4}}</ref>
-Downtown of the Foundation Building is a small park, Cooper Triangle, which includes a monument dedicated to Peter Cooper.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/M016/ |title=Cooper Triangle : NYC Parks |publisher=Nycgovparks.org |date= |accessdate=June 6, 2014}}</ref>  An alumni of the school, [[Augustus Saint-Gaudens]], was commissioned to make this monument for Peter Cooper after his death in 1883. The monument was completed and put up in 1897. Cooper Square was officially open for everyone to enjoy and had added benches in 1999. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/cooper-triangle/monuments/328|title=Cooper Triangle Monuments - Peter Cooper : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=2016-11-17}}</ref> Also located in front of the monument is the [[Cooper Union Library]] and the Great Hall at Cooper Square. Across the street, at 41 Cooper Square, is the school's newest building, the [[Cooper Union#New Academic Building|New Academic Building]], designed by Thom Mayne of [[Morphosis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/arts/design/05coop.html|title=The Civic Value of a Bold Statement|date=June 5, 2009|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://morphopedia.com/projects/cooper-union |title=Cooper Union &#124; Morphopedia &#124; Morphosis Architects |publisher=Morphopedia |date= |accessdate=June 6, 2014}}</ref>
+Downtown of the Foundation Building is a small park, Cooper Triangle, which includes a monument dedicated to Peter Cooper.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/M016/ |title=Cooper Triangle : NYC Parks |publisher=Nycgovparks.org |date= |accessdate=June 6, 2014}}</ref>  An alumni of the school, [[Augustus Saint-Gaudens]], was commissioned to make this monument for Peter Cooper after his death in 1883. The monument was completed and put up in 1897. Cooper Square was officially open for everyone to enjoy and had added benches in 1999.<ref name="Cooper Triangle Monuments"/> Also located in front of the monument is the [[Cooper Union Library]] and the Great Hall at Cooper Square. Across the street, at 41 Cooper Square, is the school's newest building, the [[Cooper Union#New Academic Building|New Academic Building]], designed by Thom Mayne of [[Morphosis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/arts/design/05coop.html|title=The Civic Value of a Bold Statement|date=June 5, 2009|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://morphopedia.com/projects/cooper-union |title=Cooper Union &#124; Morphopedia &#124; Morphosis Architects |publisher=Morphopedia |date= |accessdate=June 6, 2014}}</ref>
 [[The Village Voice]]'s headquarters are on the western side of the square, as are classroom buildings of [[Grace Church School]] and [[Kaplan, Inc.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/about/ |title=New York About Us Village Voice |publisher=Villagevoice.com |date=May 21, 2014 |accessdate=June 6, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gcschool.org/community/index.aspx |title=Grace Church School: Community |publisher=Gcschool.org |date= |accessdate=June 6, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://store.kaptest.com/enrollment/learn_more_enroll.jhtml?type=Map&buyit=true&classid=1000867527 |title=Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions |publisher=Store.kaptest.com |date= |accessdate=June 6, 2014}}</ref> The sleek, modern high-rise [[Cooper Square Hotel]] at 25 is one of the newest buildings on the square.<ref>[http://www.thecoopersquarehotel.com/the-hotel/the-story "The Story"] at the Cooper Square Hotel website</ref><ref>[http://ny.curbed.com/tags/cooper-square-hotel "Cooper Square Hotel"] coverage at ''Curbed''</ref>
@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 Cooper Square along with Cooper Triangle and [[Astor Place]] will be adding in more seating areas. This area is particularly busy with many students, workers, and pedestrians. There will graphite seating blocks, zipper benches, and river benches (only in Cooper Park).There will also be a water fountain installed. There will be NYC bike racks all along the site. There will be more seating areas and trees planted. There will be bike racks scattered around the area. Since there are a lot of people commuting to this area, there are also a lot of students and local residents, the city is adding in benches and tables for pedestrians to sit. The sidewalks have been expanded and is being turned into a pedestrian plaza. The proposed design includes adding 64 new trees and 113 new bike racks. <ref name="recon" />
-<references />''italic text'' italic text
 ==Gallery==
@@ Line 60: / Line 58: @@
 ==References==
 '''Notes'''
-{{reflist|30em}}
+{{reflist|30em|refs=
+<ref name="Cooper Triangle Monuments">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/cooper-triangle/monuments/328|title=Cooper Triangle Monuments - Peter Cooper : NYC Parks|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=2016-11-17}}</ref>
+}}
 ==External links==