Alamo (sculpture)
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Alamo is an outdoor sculpture (removed as of March 2005 for repairs) by Bernard Rosenthal, located on Astor Place, on the island of Manhattan in New York City. It takes the form of a black cube, 8 feet long on each side, mounted on a corner. The faces of the cube are not planes - they have various indentations, protrusions, and ledges, some of which are informally used as garbage cans. It is not widely known as "Alamo," the name given on a small plaque on one corner of the base. Generally it is simply called "the Cube."
Installed in 1967, it has since become a popular meeting place in the East Village. It stands in the middle of an intersection, across the street from both entrances to the Astor Place station of the New York Subway and the Cooper Union.
The Cube's distinguishing feature is that it can be spun on its vertical axis. One person can usually push it slowly with some exertion, and two or more people without trouble. Sitting or sleeping in the shade of the cube is also popular, although the whole installation does have a disconcerting tendency to wobble due to lack of maintenance.
The cube was once turned into a Rubik's Cube as a prank. See External Links.
According to some "the cube" (before it was taken down for repairs in 2005) was full of women's brassieres, though some would classify this as an urban legend and others as indisputable fact. The bras could supposedly be accessed by climbing on the cube's top side and reaching into the square hole.
On March 10th, 2005, the parks department removed the cube for repairs. It should be returning soon, as the original artist and crew are working on the missing bolt and some other minor repairs. The Cube should return in a few weeks by park depertment estimates, and will still be able to spin when it comes back.The cube weighs about 2500 pounds.
External links
- Excellent Everything2 article on the Cube. (http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=Cooper%20Cube)
- Rubik's Cube prank. (http://www.alltooflat.com/pranks/cube/)