The Transformation of Cooper Square

With the Astor Place Tower now in place for the past year, the extraorinarily 19th century, retro-luxury Bowery Hotel just opening, Greg Peck's 22 story glass hotel currently (February, 2007) at six roughed-out floors and Cooper Union's Hewitt Building coming down, there is just too much going on at Cooper Square not to document some of it. Cooper Union has played an ongoing role in my life. I graduated from its School of Art in 1979, my wife graduated from the same in 1982 and my cousin Charlie graduated from its School of Engineering in 1961. Hard as this may be to comprehend, neither Charlie nor I knew of the other's involvement with the school until an offhand comment was made about it by my mother in 2003.

(As a small gesture to the old alma mater, I have created a style sheet for this gallery that follows the rigid, Swiss-design, red/gray/black/white color scheme to which the design school doggedly remains in allegiance.)