After restoration, the sculpture was on display at Hampton Fine Arts Fair from July 10-16. Today, July 18th, NYC DOT Commissioner Rodriguez, the Tony Rosenthal Art Estate, Kendal Henry, Assistant Commissioner of Public Art, Village Alliance, and others unveiled the newly restored Alamo Cube back to its home on the Plaza in Astor Place.
Astor Place will be celebrating The Cube’s return on Sunday, July 23rd at 5:00pm.
“We are delighted to share the news of The Cube’s restoration this year,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We are especially grateful for the generosity of the family of the late Tony Rosenthal, the incredibly talented sculptor. Rosenthal’s artistic vision in the 1960s has managed to capture the imagination and spirit of the whole East Village community for decades with an iconic sculpture that is best enjoyed when it is touched and spun with friends. I look forward to the Cube’s return to Astor Place in time for Summer Streets 2023 – when New Yorkers can once again join together and spin.”
“As a gift to the City of NY, Cynthia Rosenthal fully embraced the initial idea to fund the restoration of the Alamo,” said Tony Rosenthal Art Estate Director Dave Petrie. “The partnership between the City (DOT) and the Estate brings a fresh vibe to the renaissance of the artist, Tony Rosenthal.”
The 1,800-pound, 8-foot-by-8-foot-by-8-foot “Alamo (Cube)” sculpture was originally fabricated in 1967 by Tony Rosenthal (1914-2009) as part of the former Sculpture and Environmentalism program established under The Office of Cultural Affairs of the City’s Parks Department, which one year later would become The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Administration. The artwork has since become a key fixture of the neighborhood and serves as the backdrop for many neighborhood activities in the plaza. As DOT’s Plaza partner, the Village Alliance has supported with day-to-day maintenance of the artwork.
“The world keeps spinning – and so will the Alamo Cube!” said Scott Hobbs, Executive Director of the Village Alliance Business Improvement District. “We are incredibly grateful to the Estate of Tony Rosenthal for working alongside Mayor Adams’ administration and the New York City Department of Transportation to ensure that the restoration stays true to the artist’s original vision. We are thrilled that the City is restoring one of New York City’s most recognizable and beloved public art sculptures. The Alamo Cube has been an iconic landmark in the Village for decades, and the Village Alliance can’t wait for it to spin again.”
The Cube was removed from the plaza at Astor Place, and shipped to Versteeg Art Fabricator, a foundry in Bethany, Connecticut, for repairs and reinforcement after it was found to be unstable, and lost the inability to spin in 2021. The $100,000 restoration project has been fully funded by the artist ~ the Tony Rosenthal estate.
About the artist, Tony Rosenthal. About ‘The Cube‘.