The Latest on Wash. Square Park

DNAinfo Reports:

A 31-foot-tall sculpture resembling a stick of pink rock candy will rise on the plaza at 14th Street and Union Square East this fall, officials said.

The installation — dubbed “Rose Crystal Tower” and designed by renowned glassblower Dale Chihuly — will consist of a 22-foot structure made of glass-like resin sitting on top of a nine-foot base, according to Parks Department representatives.

The department is looking into whether it will be possible to use power sources in the area to light the sculpture from the inside, according to Jennifer Lantzas, deputy director of public art for the agency.

The tower will consist of numerous layers of pink crystals stacked on top of each other to create a column, according to early renderings.

The resin which Chihuly is using in place of his usual glass materials will be hard enough to withstand breakage, according to Dale Lanzone of Marlborough Gallery, which is sponsoring the Union Square installation.

“You could throw a rock at it or really do whatever you wanted to break it and it’s not going to break,” he said at Community Board 5’s Parks and Public Space Committee meeting Monday.

This will be Chihuly’s second public exhibition in the city, coming on the heels of an installation in the New York Botanical Gardens that will debut in April. It will be displayed from October 2017 until October 2018.

Chihuly, who sports a distinctive eye patch stemming from a glassblowing accident, is known for his creations that range from flora and fauna to abstract designs that have helped turn glassblowing into an avante-garde artform, Lanzone said.

“In the world of glass, he really invented the art form,” Lanzone said. “Chihuly is synonymous with glass sculpture.”DN

This is the 2 week look ahead for the New School’s University Center. Next week (August 5 to August 9), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors inside the building.

The following week (August 12 to August 16), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, August 3rd for interior, and sidewalk activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City. Additionally we will be paving along 13th st.

Just a note to those who have made inquiry, the wall board panels are temporary and will be replaced when the final entrances are installed.

David Chang’s impressive restaurant empire is a joy to have in the neigborhood. His latest accomplishment is the weird and wonderful Momofuku Milk Bar on 13th near 2nd Ave. Try it out for some wild and tasty takeaway desserts. A little pricey, but it’s one of those “only in New York” things. We’re lucky to have it. Get the crack pie or the compost cookies.

Pie Face, an Australian fast-food chain, has opened a few spots around town, including a brand new one at the corner of 13th and 4th Ave. An extensive menu of coffee, snacks, and pies–both sweet and savory–are available.

Next week (May 28 to June 1), Superstructure work will continue at the 18th floor level. The superstructure concrete work will be completed on the building by the end of the month. We will begin pouring concrete at 6am on Friday the 25th in order to finish in a timely manner. Deliveries for the internal systems of the building have been ongoing and will continue, although they should not greatly affect the flow of pedestrian and road traffic. The site will be closed on Monday, May 28th for the Memorial Day Holiday.

The following week (June 4 to June 8), we will be working on the machine room levels on the 18th floor. Additionally we will have another crane on the Northwest corner of the site to help with a steel truss installation. This should not greatly affect pedestrian or road traffic. Deliveries for the internal systems of the building have been ongoing and will continue, although they should not greatly affect the flow of pedestrian and road traffic.