First, Goggla passed along this photo from 1909 of Copper Square between Seventh Street and Sixth Street from the New York Public Library database .... on the right, you can make out just a little bit of the building that was on the now-vacant corner...
Also, in July 2008, Jeremiah presented a thorough history of 35 Cooper Square... Here's just a portion of the building's history:
"In the 20th century, it became a home for artists. Painter and photographer J. Forrest Vey lived there after WWII. He rented the upstairs dormer rooms for $5 apiece to people like Joel Grey, star of Cabaret, and Claude Brown, author of Manchild in the Promised Land.
Mr. Vey once broke into the attic, which had been sealed ever since a man hanged himself there. He found Civil War newspapers, a stove-pipe hat, a sign that said '5-cent Hot Whiskey,' and a noose."
Appreciate 35 Cooper Square while you can... soon, it will be swallowed up by more glass and steel.