Peter Cooper Block Party
Free & Open to the Public
Saturday, Sept. 3
Noon-5 pm
7 East 7th St., Outside Cooper Union's Foundation Building
Development, construction, demolition, re-development, re-construction, re-demolition, un-re-development, re-un-construction, de-un-remolition...Amidst the dust, it's hard to know: what's going on here?
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About Peter Cooper Block Party 2016
The Block Party is a relatively new tradition of coming together to celebrate, reconnect, and showcase the ongoing work of the Cooper community.
The theme of this year's Peter Cooper Block Party is a provocation:
“Under Construction:"
And a question:
"What’s Going On Here?”
2016 marks the completion of a decade’s worth of private and public redevelopments — architectural, financial, and cultural — at and around Cooper and the Astor Place area. This year’s celebration bears witness to the unfolding impact of these changes.
This year's programming also takes on an additional charge:
Reflecting while in motion.
Let's! Yet! Both!
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Programming
This family-friendly event will feature many alumni, student, and faculty projects, live music and performances, informational materials about the state of the Cooper Union and the re-development of Astor Place, a bouncy house and family craft table, and light refreshments.
Inside the drawers of the shop’s back office, assistant manager Christopher Colvin remembers finding pre-World War II architectural drawing tools and compasses, small artifacts of the store’s long history.
Among the many treasures he has found: a pencil set so old and delicate it has begun to disintegrate. It is a token that Mr. Colvin said he bought for himself and will cherish long after he says goodbye to the staff, the store and its loyal patrons for the last time.
[Family member Doug] Steinberg said the four-story building is in the process of being sold, and that neither the price nor the buyer’s intentions for the property had yet been disclosed.
