A VISION FOR THE NEW ASTOR PLACE A Placemaking Strategy FINAL REPORT by Project for Public Spaces August 2013 Prepared for the Village Alliance August 2013 Prepared By Project for Public Spaces, PPS 1 Introduction 3 About PPS and the Placemaking Approach 5 A Brief Historical Overview 7 Power Of Ten on Astor Place 9 Goals for Astor Place 11 A Program for the Spaces 21 Next Steps Astor Place Subway Plaza 56 new trees The Alamo Plaza 104 new standard DOT bike racks 6,620 SF of permeable paving 400 SF of swale planting for Cooper Triangle stormwater management 18,415 SF new additional planting The Village Plaza Existing Tree New Tree Existing Curbs Project Scope 80’ 40’ 160 ’ DDC / DOT / Parks Reconstruction of Astor Place and Cooper Square Plan Diagram Proposed Design WXY/QRP/Oudolf/Tillett 1/30/2012 Scale: Graphic Scale 4 Introduction In February 2013 Project for Public PPS is deeply familiar with Astor Place, as it is Spaces (PPS) began a collaboration on our office’s very doorstep. We believe the renovation of Astor Place is a momentous with the Village Alliance on occasion, as it is one that we have long advocated an initiative to develop a Site for. Activation Plan for Astor Place. This PPS uses a Placemaking approach to engage initiative, spurred by physical and local stakeholders and the broader communities traffic improvements proposed in the planning and activation of Astor Place. by NYCDOT for Astor Place, This approach provides a roadmap for the types represents a critical opportunity of activities and amenities necessary to create a lively public space, and to bring people together to transform the space from an to celebrate the civic and cultural richness of underperforming, lackluster traffic the area. The ultimate goal of the Placemaking island into the civic heart of the approach is to develop an informed, inspiring and agreed upon vision and a program, which builds neighborhood, as well as into one consensus and capacity to transform Astor Place of New York City’s great public into one of the great public spaces in New York spaces. City. In addition to PPS, the Village Alliance has enlisted the help of city activators who will develop a detailed program of events for the new public space Astor Place is poised to become. PPS is using a proactive approach to understanding existing patterns of use and developing a programmatic vision with the community, while cityactivators outline implementation and management strategies. A Vision for Astor Place 1 About PPS and the Placemaking Approach Project for Public Spaces is a THE PLACEMAKING APPROACH THE PROCESS nonprofit planning, design, and We start by truly understanding how people We began our work by first reviewing a user educational organization dedicated use a place and what activities could draw them analysis study of Astor Place PPS had conducted to helping communities transform there. Design cannot be the starting point for in 1998-99. The study offered a rich array of data, creating a great place. Within any successful plaza, including time-lapse footage, pedestrian counts, their public spaces into vital places there needs to be several dynamic destinations activity mapping, observation data, ground floor that highlight local assets, spur that attract different kinds of people. These analysis of building fronts, summary of past rejuvenation, and serve common destinations must offer people many things surveys (Cooper Union, Village Alliance) and some to do - socializing, eating, reading, playing a recommendations. To complete that picture needs. To develop successful public game, interacting with art, people watching, from recent history, we conducted a brief historic spaces, it is essential to understand etc. Creating a great plaza requires working with overview to identify historical moments and the needs of both current and the community to articulate a vision for these figures of significance. The results of this overview potential users, the community activities and destinations. From this Placemaking a presented further in this report. process, PPS builds a concept plan--a program for dynamics and conditions. To uses, activities, and destinations--which guides the PPS and the Alliance engaged in an inclusive this end, PPS uses structured development of the space. public process consisting of stakeholder observations, surveys, focus interviews and focus groups, a public visioning group interviews, and a unique PPS worked in partnership with the Village workshop, an online survey, and a presentation to Alliance and the Astor Place community to build CB 2. community process that focuses a program of activities that will attract partners, on a full range of local stakeholders excite stakeholders, and delight the public. In Stakeholder interviews were conducted with – residents, students, property this process we worked together to identify key area property owners and property managers; partners for implementation, funding, organizing Cooper Union students and faculty; a vast array of and business managers, cultural events, and managing the space. area arts organizations; area residents; and office and arts organizations, schools workers. Over a hundred people were contacted and colleges, major employers, in the outreach process. community board members and city agency representatives. A Vision for Astor Place 3 The focus group process served as a ramp-up to a about the place. broader public visioning workshop, held on April 18, 2013 and hosted by Grace Church High School. The ideas generated in the public process, Close to sixty people attended the workshop and along with PPS’ knowledge of great public engaged in the Place Performance Evaluation spaces worldwide and the elements needed to Game. The workshop asked participants to create them, represent the foundation for the identify events, activities, and initiatives that the recommendations outlined in this report. Alliance and its public and private partners could implement. People were asked to brainstorm program ideas that would help activate Astor Place, as well as potential amenities and linkages that will make the space more comfortable, welcoming and attractive to users. Working in small groups and looking a small sites within Astor place, participants were able to visit the place, evaluate the existing public space and envision a new one. By participating in this ‘game’, attendees had the opportunity to get to know each other better and to gain new insights into the way the space functions for people with different needs and abilities. In order to expand the number of people involved in the Placemaking process at Astor Place, PPS designed an online survey, which was distributed by the Village Alliance via its list-serve and newsletter. The survey did not yield statistically significant results (only 50 people have responded so far) but it offered thoughtful and heartfelt comments and ideas from people who really care A Vision for Astor Place 4 A Brief Historical Overview The streets in and around Astor “Astor Place is a huge draw for history with 22 deaths and 10,000 demonstrators. Place are rich with a history which tourists and native NYers alike. The riots erupted at the Astor Place Opera House due to anti-British sentiment, sparked by rivalry often isn’t evident to passers-by - The historical importance of the between an American and a British actor who from buildings and events, to the area cannot be overstated... It is a both happened to be playing Macbeth in two small details hidden in subway crossroads between Union Square, separate theatre companies on Astor Place. entrances and on lamp-posts. the East Village, Noho, etc., AND it’s A number of famous figures have shaped – and Throughout focus groups and the a stone’s throw from Washington continue to shape – Astor Place, such as John public workshop there was great Square Park! The importance of The Jacob Astor himself (1763-1848), a self-made interest in the neighborhood’s past, Public Theater and Joe’s Pub must fur magnate who donated $400,000 to start a public library. A beaver plaque placed in the with strong support for having this be emphasized and highlighted” subway (one of only 28 original subway stations history permanently highlighted. (online survey respondent). in NYC) continues to honor his influence. Peter This perception was often described Cooper (1791-1883) was an industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and the oldest ever US presidential as a way to help strengthen This neighborhood was home to the wealthy in candidate nominee. He was responsible for Astor Place’s diverse and creative the mid-late 19th century, including the Astor, a number of inventions of note, from the character, prized beyond almost Vanderbilt and Delano families, William Cullen pragmatic - designing and building the first any other quality of the space. For Bryant and Isaac Singer. Many architectural relics steam locomotive and a crank-operated washing still reflect this period, including the Astor Place machine, to the somewhat more quirky - jello. example: Off-Broadway Theatre (1831), part of a historic His most visible legacy stands in the form of The colonnade row; the Public Theater (1853-1881), Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science “It [Astor Place] should retain the formerly Astor Place Library and still an arts hub; and Art, which he established under the mandate of free and open access education, an issue under character of the neighborhood, and the Wanamaker building (1906), formerly an elegant department store (one of the first in the hot negotiation at this very moment. In fact tie back to its history” (Arts focus US) now home to K-Mart. Yet this time was not politics run deeply through the Cooper Union. Its group). without drama. The Cooper Union riots in 1849 Great Hall (1858) remains a venue used by heads remain one of the worst cases of civil unrest in US of state, from Abraham Lincoln’s historic 1867 address to Barack Obama’s economic speech in A Vision for Astor Place 5 2008.