Alamo Sculpture, ca. 1980.

The Alamo, also called the Astor Place Cube or just The Cube is an eight-foot-square cube mounted on one corner that sits in Astor Place and has become an icon of the neighborhood. Created by artist Bernard (Tony) Rosenthal and installed in 1967, the work was originally a temporary piece in the outdoor art show called "Sculpture and the Environment" organized by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. It was so popular that citizens petitioned the city to allow it to remain. Spinning the Cube (which takes more than one person) has become a sort of token New York City experience. The Cube was placed in storage between 2015 and 2016 during the reconstruction of Astor Place. It made a triumphant return in November of 2016 as the centerpiece of a new, permanent, pedestrian plaza.