Manhattan · New York County
155 East 31st Street
POPS - Outdoor Seating
- Location
- 155 East 31st Street, Kips Bay
- Size
- 0.04 acres
- Hours
- Open during building hours
- Type
- POPS - Outdoor Seating
155 East 31st Street is a Privately Owned Public Space in Kips Bay, providing a small outdoor seating area at a residential building two blocks north of its sibling POPS at 155 East 29th Street.
The blocks between 29th and 34th Streets east of Lexington Avenue form the heart of the Kips Bay residential district. The neighborhood's apartment buildings, many constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, house a diverse mix of young professionals, medical workers, and families.
The Kips Bay Towers, a notable Brutalist residential complex designed by I.M. Pei on First Avenue between 30th and 33rd Streets, are among the neighborhood's most architecturally distinctive buildings. The towers introduced modernist residential design to the neighborhood in 1965.
Small outdoor POPS in residential neighborhoods like Kips Bay serve an important social function, providing gathering spots where neighbors can meet and interact in an otherwise anonymous urban environment.
This seating area provides a modest but useful public amenity in a residential neighborhood that values practical neighborhood services over architectural spectacle.