Astor Alive! Celebrates Renewal of Astor Place

The Village Alliance organized the first Astor Alive! festival to mark the newly renovated Astor Place from September 15 to 17. The event included four stages where performances reflected the historical themes of Astor Place: Theater for All, Alternative Cultures and Radical Politics, Thinkers and Writers, Immigrant Populations, and Architectural Frontiers. The Cooper Union was invited to participate, and students from various clubs put their talents on display. 

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.