Welcome to
Astor Place
A little bit of history
Astor Place is the crossroads of the East and West Village, the nexus of an exciting, young and vibrant artistic community. These two blocks, running between Broadway and Third Avenue and across Lafayette Street, FourthAvenue, and Cooper Square, were named after aristocrat John Jacob Astor following his death in 1848. In May of 1849 the area infamously became the site of the Astor Place Riot, the result of a theatrical feud between American actor Edwin Forrest and British actor William Macready which reflected social and political tensions among the socioeconomic classes. Later in the 19th Century the area became fashionable as part of the Ladies’ Mile commercial, housing the A. T. Stewart and Wanamaker’s department stores (the latter, still standing at 770 Broadway, also housed the city’s first television studio in 1945).
Astor Place today
Today Astor Place is as cutting edge as ever housing numerous tech companies, state of the art architecture, international food destinations and higher education institutions. Not to mention the eclectic art scene with dozens of theaters, galleries and cultural spaces; and of course the landmark interactive art structure, “The Alamo Cube.”
Now home to two recently renovated public plazas, Astor Place transforms the historic space into a pedestrian oasis and gateway between the East and West Villages. The Astor Place plazas are available to activate for many event types, ranging from film and television shoots to brand activations and community events.
If you are interested in holding an event, film or photo shoot at Astor Place, click here for our plaza event use guidelines.
