Sculpture for Living

The building named "Sculpture for Living" is located on Astor Place and Cooper Square (near where the Bowery officially begins). My knowledge of this space began in 1990, when it was a parking lot surrounded by a short disheveled fence. The color darkrooms at Cooper Union overlook this former parking lot plus the Carl Fischer clock above. These were mainstays in terms of what to look at while you were waiting for your print to process. (The clock used to work, and in fact one year the long hand blew off in the wind, but the small hand still spun around). In the early 2000's a Rem Koolhaas designed hotel was chosen to be built on this spot (the rather humorous looking model was lovingly nick named "the cheese grater"). Post 9/11 the idea was scrapped, the land leased to a developer by its owner (Cooper Union), and circa late 2003 the condo building designed by Charles Gwathmey that you see today began rising . The parking lot picture in this collage is from 2001, right around when the original hotel design was announced. It took over a year to build.

Website for the Sculpture for Living

Link to article about the Rem Koolhaas designed hotel

Here is my collage:

And the photos that make up the collages (with an extra shot or two, one that shows the Carl Fisher clock):

circa 2001

early 2004

Cooper Union in the background

off the roof of Cooper Union

also off the roof of Cooper Union. sad hands-less clock.

today.  the clocks hands are painted on.