Saturday's parting shot

Sunbathing in Cooper Square this afternoon ...

Noted

EVG reader Sheila writes in: "Peter Cooper, advocate for public education, seems to be going down in flames today."

No one to our knowledge has claimed responsibility for the paper fire just yet...

Wednesday's parting shot

The path to Peter Cooper outside Cooper Union via

Peter Cooper is now out of the box

[Photo last April by Dave on 7th]

As we noted yesterday morning, workers were starting to remove the Peter Cooper monument from its protective plywood.



So just for some closure, so to speak, Peter Cooper is now completely out of the box… free to once again watch over the park outside Cooper Union that bears his name…





Workers had covered Coop up for safekeeping during the Astor Place-Cooper Square reconstruction project, which will be done just as soon as the 4-5 guys working on it are done.

Nearly 1 year later, Peter Cooper starting to emerge from his box

[File photo via NYC Parks]

Workers boxed up Augustus Saint-Gaudens' sculpture of Cooper Union founder Peter Cooper last April ... for safekeeping during the ongoing Astor Place-Cooper Square reconstruction project.

EVG reader Katie B. has been keeping tabs on the boxed Cooper, which overlooks the Cooper Triangle Park ... and notes that he is slowly starting to emerge from underneath the plywood...


[Click on image for more detail]





Eventually the Park, which closed in November 2013, will look like this...with new seating and plantings as well as upgraded lighting (minus the ghosts probably)...



As for the statue, the official dedication took place on May 29, 1897. Check out the NYC Parks website here for more background.

Cooped up

[Photo by Dave on 7th]

We've been meaning to note that the statue of Peter Cooper in Cooper Square was boarded up this past week for the Astor Place reconstruction project … So, noted!

BoweryBoogie noted this today as well … and BB also has a shot of the statue circa 1900.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Five years later, Astor Place apparently ready for its 2-year reconstruction project

An updated look at the all-new Astor Place