Even Aliens Can't Gentrify the East Village in Peace

Photo from Flying Pablum

Yes, even the extra terrestrials can't try to make something of themselves in the East Village without being told to GTFO. Cooper Union is closing in on completion of the new building for its School of Engineering, located on Third Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets and designed by Thom Mayne of Morphosis. But one tagger had other ideas for the future plans of the spot Curbed recently called CU's "new mindfuck of a building."

The blog Flaming Pablum first spotted the graffiti on the building they say "shows zero regard for the architectural integrity and character of the neighborhood in which it's been dropped onto and will further render Astor Place virtually indistinguishable from a food court at Epcot Center's Futureworld Pavilion." Maybe the aliens will take heed and leave town with their unidentified tails between their legs, particularly now that they can no longer fuel up at nearby Bamn!

Does Cooper Union's newest building look like a spaceship? Could it fit in with these other worldly structures from around the globe? How long until another tagger gets clever and just drops a Space Invader tile on the new building?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Billy Parker in Arts and Events on April 30, 2009 6:00 PM

Comments [rss]

gaycurmudgeon

How are they going to clean the inside of this building's "exoskeleton" and the windows undearneath it?

TrippinJoJo

FUGLY building.

pinball29

This building, and the ones just like it sprouting up all over, will be looked at in 30 years just as the hideous 1960s/1970s buildings are looked at today - WTF were they thinking???

Ex: the Lollipop building on Columbus Circle, and the St Vincents building in the Village.

Manhattan is a grid of squares, and anything that doesnt reflect that in its structure ultimately just looks weird and out of place. It doesnt matter that it is considered 'avant gard' now, and therefore 'cool' and 'modern'. Ultimately, they will all just look out of place and odd.

snessnyc

Hmm...so everything built now has to look just like what is already there? Buildings that aren't square and on the grid, like the Guggenheim Museum, look out of place and don't belong? Just what should a new building look like? And which era is the one that we should make all buildings look like - 1624 when the city was founded? Which era since then? Sure, some eras like the 70's are worse than others, but if we're are to keep our standing as a cultural capital our architecture must be strive to lead also. There will be mistakes (most of the glass apartment towers) and successes (the CU building, in my opinion, is great), but greatness isn't achieved by mindlessly repeating the past and being afraid to innovate.

imadick

1970s architecture? you mean like the world trade center? you terrorist anti-american fuckhead. i hope the fbi is reading this blog and investigates you!

pinball29

Um, imadick...did you take your meds today? Please do.

keera

This is such a stupid post.

Qraymond

How is this a stupid post? Please explain.

SLiDDA

There was an article in the April 1st issue of Cooper Union's student newspaper warning that the Borg had landed across the street and were preparing to assimilate (the art and engineering schools are being consolidated into that building, and the building that formerly housed the Starbucks is being torn down).

Toby von Meistersinger

It looks like a ripoff of a crappy Frank Ghery "designed" building.

Qraymond

I just literally laughed out loud when I saw that tag. That is very funny.

99centmenu

jesus fucking christ that is one ugly building.

RDR105

yeah come on dude! this is NY!

Take a look around the world and everybody is doing interesting modern architecture. This city is stuck because the the D.O.B. and the building code only allow you to build boxes with no character whatsoever. I like the old buildings but why replicate them??

KING

The future Has arrived Tommy- Get Used To It.. No More 15th Century Apartments In City.. Sorry- Like NannyState Sayz- It'll be Banging at Night

NannyState

That's Thom Mayne for ya. I guarantee that it will look much better lit up at night.

Spirit of 76

Typical graffitihead vandal. He should do like every other civilized person who doesn't like a building and just complain about it here or on Curbed.