Manhattan · New York County
140 Broadway
POPS - Outdoor Plaza
- Location
- 140 Broadway, Financial District
- Size
- 0.25 acres
- Hours
- Open during business hours
- Type
- POPS - Outdoor Plaza
140 Broadway is a Privately Owned Public Space featuring one of the most notable plazas in the Financial District. The outdoor space is home to Isamu Noguchi's iconic red steel sculpture 'Red Cube,' one of the most photographed public artworks in Lower Manhattan.
The Red Cube, installed in 1968, is a 28-foot tall vermillion cube balanced on one corner, appearing to defy gravity. The sculpture has become a landmark of the Financial District and a symbol of the way public art can transform corporate plazas into memorable places.
The building at 140 Broadway, designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, is a minimalist black glass tower that provides a stark backdrop for Noguchi's vibrant sculpture. The building and plaza together represent a high point of modernist corporate design.
The plaza serves the Financial District's office workers and has become a destination for art lovers, photographers, and tourists who seek out the Red Cube. The sculpture's playful form provides a counterpoint to the serious business of the surrounding financial institutions.
This POPS demonstrates the power of public art to elevate a corporate plaza from a utilitarian space to a cultural destination, transforming a patch of concrete into one of the most recognizable outdoor spaces in Lower Manhattan.