Astor Place

[1] Astor Place was originally a powwow point for the various Lenape tribes of Manhattan and was called Kintecoying or, "Crossroads of Three Nations".

Architect Seth Geer designed row houses called LaGrange Terrace for the development, and the area became a fashionable, upper-class residential district.

Anti-British feelings were running so high among New York's Irish at the height of the Great Famine that they found an outlet in the rivalry between American actor Edwin Forrest and the English William Charles Macready, who were both presenting versions of Macbeth in nearby theatres.

[10] In the mid- to late-19th century, the area was home to many of the wealthiest New Yorkers, including members of the Astor, Vanderbilt, and Delano families.

[4][14] The current 299-seat Off-Broadway Astor Place Theatre, has been located in the landmark Colonnade Row on Lafayette Street, half a block south, since 1969.

The Joseph Papp Public Theater (home to the New York Shakespeare Festival) is located across the street in the former Astor Library building.

Installed in 1967 as part of the "Sculpture and the Environment" organized by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Alamo Cube has since become a popular meeting place in the East Village.

A makeshift replica of PVC tubes named the Jello Cube in honor of Peter Cooper was placed in its stead.

[15] Other nearby points of interest include: The IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway has a station named Astor Place at the intersection of Lafayette & East 8th Streets, which is served by the 4, ​6, and <6> trains.

The second block is used by the eastbound M8 (westbound buses use East 9th Street) and the uptown M101 and M102 out of service from Cooper Square, making their first stops at Third Avenue.