Consider how this triangle once bustled with the sounds of demolition. Today we stand in Louise Nevelson Plaza. It is a public art installation and park in Lower Manhattan. Before Louise Nevelson Plaza existed, the German-American Insurance Company Building stood here. It was demolished in the 1970s to widen streets.
The city intended to revitalize this space. Financial crisis cancelled these plans in 1974. Chase Manhattan Bank decided to revitalize the plaza. This decision followed the publication of a booklet titled To Preserve a Heritage.
After Louise Nevelson gifted her sculpture Night Presence IV to New York City in 1972, she was asked to design an installation for this space. This installation would include sculpture seating and plantings. Doris Freedman recommended Nevelson for the project.
Louise Nevelson Plaza opened in 1978. It became the city’s first public space named after and designed by a living artist. The plaza is bounded by Maiden Lane Liberty Street and William Street. It sits adjacent to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Nevelson placed seven black welded steel sculptures on columns. These ranged from 20 to 40 feet high. She wanted them to appear to float like flags above the plaza. These works are part of Nevelson’s Seventh Decade Garden. This is a series of environmental sculptures evoking botanical shapes. The sculptures were made using corten steel painted black. The base was made using concrete stone and brick. Four of the sculptures constituted an arrangement called Shadows and Flags.
In 1977, Mayor Abraham Beame hailed Nevelson’s sculpture as an antidote to violence in the city. In 1978, Mayor Ed Koch and David Rockefeller dedicated the space as Louise Nevelson Plaza. The largest sculpture stands 70 feet tall. It unfurls against the Federal Reserve Bank.
The physical condition of Louise Nevelson Plaza suffered poor maintenance. After the September 11 attacks a security booth was erected. This marked the first alteration of Nevelson’s design. By 2007, the sculptures had faded. One had been hit by a truck and removed. The city initiated a redesign project.
The site reopened in 2010. The updated plaza featured a new ground cover. An elevated platform benches and plantings were added. Most of Nevelson’s sculptures were restored and rearranged. Louise Nevelson’s granddaughter Maria supported the renovations. She cited her grandmother’s embrace of the now over the past.
Louise Nevelson Plaza has undergone many changes. It remains a testament to art’s ability to transform public space. It also stands as a reminder of Nevelson’s unique vision.