Astor Place & Colonnade Row
⇐ Colonnade Row @ 430 Lafayette Street
Broadway to Lafayette Street, New York.
Opposite to the Public Theater. Astor Place is a short block, between Broadway (west) and Lafayette Street (east), near St. Marks Place. It was named after John Jacob Astor (1763-1848), the richest man in US after he died. He bequest $400,000 ($12m in 2020) to build a library: Astor Library. It was the first major library in the city, and would ultimately merge with Lenox Library in 1912 to form the current New York Public Library (NYPL).
This Italianate building was the Astor Library (now The Public Theater @ 425 Lafayette) that began building the following year (1849) and completed in 1881. JJ Astor’s sons would add north and center section later on. Three architects were involved:
Alexander Saeltzer (1814-83) – south wing (1849-53)
Griffith Thomas (1820-79) – center section (1856-9)
Thomas Stent (1822–1912) – north wing (1879-81)
The Cooper Union foundation building @ E 7th St.; 51 Astor Place;
