Comments Archive

Our website is a digital space for collaboration about physical space. We invite you to participate  in the creation of knowledge designed to secure greater public use of New York City’s 525 or so POPS, those zoning-created plazas, arcades, and other outdoor and indoor privately owned public spaces. Here is an archive of comments from visitors like you.

What To Do When It Rains on Your Wedding Day in NYC on Find a POPS:
[…] around mid-town. You can actually search for various options throughout the city and check them out here.  Another decent one is the Black Rock Park Ave Plaza at E 53rd and Park Ave. This space is […]
Schleyer on 118 West 57th Street | Le Parker Meridien:
This is currently closed for construction, though I fear it'll become permanent. The entrance on 56th remains marked "Public Access to 57th Street", but a lobby attendant confirmed there is "no walkthrough."
In the Zone | Confluence on Find a POPS:
[…] City Experience,2000) has also founded the Advocates for Privately Owned Public Space, and created an interactive-map of city POPS and spaces to review and redesign […]
Jim on 875 Third Avenue:
This location demands identification for use of the bathrooms.
Natalie Hemlick on 85 Broad Street:
This profile describes the originally designed plaza and lobby, but the space has been extensively renovated and much of this information is no longer relevant. A major change is that the through-block urban plaza now has 10 planter/bench units, in addition to the original granite seating ledge. As Gary Roth mentioned in 2015, the lobby no longer has turnstiles at the entrances. There are now no obstructions to public access through the lobby during business hours. Additionally, the arcade globe lighting has been replaced with a continuous twisting light installation. I am curious about the photograph of the through-block plaza, which shows the space without any planters or benches in the major plaza area. Could you provide more information about when this photograph was taken? Do you know if this situation was in place over the long-term? Or was this a temporary state in between renovations? It looks like the original bollards near Coenties Alley are still in place, but the tree planting bed that currently separates Coenties Alley from the plaza has not been constructed yet.
Shane S. on 835 Sixth Avenue:
Tucked away just off Sixth street this plaza feature a broad vista north and south, which anchors the parallel streets acting, as a girthy pedestrian linkage. Approaching this space from 29th I first saw some grass growing on the jutted roof in the southwest corner, giving a suggestion of some environmental self consciousness; I quickly noticed it was artificial turf. Above the moch verdancy is a massive tv screen at least five meters wide. This narrow scene nearly looks like a deconstructed sports arena. From the faux earthen roof down, it’s structure is cladded with opaque horizontal paneling. In picture I noticed it lights up in some way, which is clever but I question if they light it up on a regular basis. Up a few steps past some wavy wood slatted seating is a large reflecting pool. Relational to the rest of the space it seems to be the center of attention. It looks like some black marble, I do like the element of water and I see sign restricting me from cool off my feet, it looks quite clean. Straight lines make up the movement of this space, proceeding north from the pool are a series of long and large taupe marble benches. In between is a third distinct straight line, that of row of trees. There are a total of 17 trees in the space and it is wheelchair accessible. The tall office building which surround it have an unrestricted view of the space, but when the trees get larger and more full it might be a good place for cover. But the most access to visibility comes from the hotel which owns the space. Here is direct quote from their website. “Inspired by the neighborhood, The Chelsea Art district, which is one of the most important and influential art districts in the world, Kimpton Hotel Eventi has evolved itself to become a destination for art lovers itself.” I suppose there’s no room for sublty in big business. This is not just a hotel but also an gallery of its own collection. Whether Chelsea has sustained a affluent or historic scene for art, it’s involved in a long turbulent history, which is reflexive to the nature of its surrounding and a destination for art is not a neighborhood but a dislocation into tourism. For Kimpton Hotel Eventi to claim that they’ve evolved themselves into a destination is to ignore the larger history and multitudes up people which have struggled and persevered. This square could use historicism to relate the past to its place, but at the moment I see no relationship beyond luxury experiences. Perhaps the ornamental pool could be enlarged. My interaction in this space was pleasant enough, regardless of feeling watched by people in the hotel restaurant I wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable as to avoid reading for a little while. In my moments on the massive marble bench I thought of Hito Steyerl’s “Guards”. This courtyard was perfect for militarization because of its clean lines of sight and besides one bump out all corners were eliminated. But if security were to be guarding this space, what is it that they’re guarding exactly. Everything seems bolted down. It’s as if there are invisible guards there, and there is a relationship with the hotel that exhausts a need keep something safe. Is it truly a public pace, or is this POPS another contrived relationship referring to the nature of the space in a legal sense, as an easement, a mere right of way. I believe this courtyard is just an extension of authority, which hints to the hotels own power, it reminds itself of its identity and cherishes it like Narcissus over the reflecting pond.
Ruth Grigorov on 135 East 57th Street:
I approached The Cohen Brothers Park at 135 East 57th Street by walking south on the west side of Lexington Avenue. As I was half a block away, I saw the massive circular sculpture looming over the busy corner of 57th Street and Lexington Avenue. The pillars, made of dark heavy marble, held up a circular structure resembling a huge cement donut. I rounded the corner so as to get a better view of the structure and felt very small. Inside the circular pavilion, benches are carved into structure to provide seating. On each side of the structure, there are several plants, and a small waterfall. There are steps up to the pavilion from the corner of the block, and ramps to enter the plaza from both sides. 135 East 57th Street is a property owned by Cohen Brothers Realty, a global property management company. What is interesting about this property, is that it actually contains two privately owned public spaces. The first is the entrance described above, and the second is a small park, much more secluded, around the corner from the main building. This offers a dramatically different experience than the main plaza area on the corner of 57th and Lexington. As opposed to the grand theatrical experience a visitor feels upon approaching the plaza, the park is deep, narrow, and much more intimate, as it penetrates into the block north of 57th street. Unfortunately this park was closed when I visited on Sunday afternoon, so I was unable to go inside. However, a view through the gate provided me with plenty of information. At the back there is a waterfall, and on the sides of the park there are several benches surrounded by plants, flowers, and trees. In the middle there are tables and chairs for more seating. The two POPS are interesting in relation to David Harvey’s spatial theory. The two spaces located on the same property lot are, of course, absolute spaces within themselves. They can be considered relative in that they provide platforms on which circulation of energy and people take place at all hours. They are relational in that they were created on the basis of laws which were made to re-define the standards of space in New York City; a change to the history of Manhattan. Furthermore, I found this location similar to the Panopticon in that it is circular in nature, and directly visible by the security desk in the lobby of the main building on the plaza. I stepped inside the building for a brief moment and observed that whoever is standing guard at the desk has a full view of the entire plaza from one end to the other. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was an intended design feature for the building and plaza. Overall, I found this POPS to be very successful according to New York City standards for a POPS. Both areas were ADA accessible, and had plenty of greenery to create a sense of calm to distract from the busy neighborhood. The waterfalls also added to this effect.The circular design of the plaza allowed for functional circulation of pedestrians, as well as lots of visibility to ensure a sense of safety and openness. There were more than enough seating areas to accommodate a large number of people, making this POPS an ideal place for a quick break from the office.
Jonathan on 353 East 17th Street | Gilman Hall:
There are now two benches and a couple of round tables and the fence and gate have been removed. The location is a bit bleek but it's nice that there is seating.
Jonathan on 201 East 17th Street:
Even more drab than in the 2000 pictures and definitely no planters or seating! Sad waste of space. May bring a chair for next visit. The 17th street area is nice but since it is by the entrance to the building feels not so public. Also no where to really sit.
Development Impact in NYC: The Role of Privately-Owned Public Space | The Global Grid on Find a POPS:
[…] look at just 15 of the 525+ POPS that exist in New York City (see the Municipal Art Society of New York | Advocates for Privately Owned Public Space map here) shows that a total of 188,000 square feet of POPS were required to generate 1,202,000 square feet […]
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