51 Astor Place | Block : 554 | Lot #1

Building Date : 2013
Original Use : Residential/Commercial

Original Owner : Minskoff Equities
Original Architect : Fumihiko Maki

Description & Building Alterations

The current building on this lot is a 13-story, glazed glass and aluminum mixed use building that occupies the entire block. Cooper Union originally owned the land, but sold it in 2002 to make up a budget deficit. Previously, the lot housed the Cooper Union engineering building, and prior to that, a coffee shop occupied the space.

This was once Lot 35.

Block : 554 / Lot : 001 / Building Date : 2013 / Original Owner : Minskoff Equities / Original Use : Residential/Commercial / Original Architect : Fumihiko Maki

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What is the Building Blocks Project

What does a building mean to someone who lives there? A person who lives on the block? In the neighborhood? In the city? This site presents a wealth of historic information gained from GVSHP’s architectural research survey about the buildings located in the East Village.

The site explores the area generally considered today as the East Village: from a northern border of 14th Street to a southern border of Houston Street, Avenue D in the east to 4th Avenue/the Bowery to the west. You can explore the information about the blocks and buildings featured here in two ways.

Pick a block. Maybe it’s yours, or perhaps it is just your favorite place to shop, grab a bite, or just people watch. Then explore the buildings that make up that block. Or take one of the many guided tours on the site, curated by a collection of organizations and experts from the neighborhood. See how they experience the neighborhood. Then tell us what the neighborhood means to you. The site’s comments section allows you to open a dialogue with others who feel just as passionately as you do about the East Village.