When the Cube returned to Astor Place late Monday night

Photos by Lawrence Lee 

The Cube (aka Alamo) is back in working (spinning) order on Astor Place after being away for two-plus months for repairs and refurbishment. 

Versteeg Art Fabricators in Bethany, Conn., put in a new weatherproof spinning mechanism and added a few coats of paint (and in record time). After a visit to Southampton for the Hamptons Fine Art Fair this past week (Alamo creator Tony Rosenthal lived and worked in the Hamptons), the Cube returned to Astor Place, its home since 1967. 

Just as the sculpture was whisked away late at night back in May... the return followed the same MO to avoid daytime pedestrians and vehicular traffic.

Lawrence Lee shared these photos of its arrival a little after 11 p.m. on Monday when a crew from Mariano Brothers Specialty Moving — the Bethel, Conn.-based specialists in rigging and installing museum and art pieces — delivered the Cube and helped put it back in place with the help of a team from Versteeg Art Fabricators.

  

 

The Cube had been out of commission with structural damage since December 2021. At the time, we were told that the spinning mechanism for the Cube, which manually rotates around a pole hidden in its center, was not working. 

Rosenthal's estate picked up the estimated repair bill of $100,000.

Previous repairs to the Cube took place in 2005 and 2016, though it was away longer than this 2023 trip to the shop.

Photo below from yesterday by EVG