Peter Minuit Plaza

The plaza is a heavy pedestrian traffic area just north of the Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal and includes two exits for the New York City Subway's South Ferry/Whitehall Street station as well as the M15 SBS South Ferry Bus Loop at Peter Minuit Place, making this a busy intersection that is used by approximately 70,000 residents and visitors daily.

The space was dedicated in 1953[2] (marking the 300th anniversary of the charter of New Amsterdam) as a smaller triangular plaza at the Kapsee, a historic point at the original southern tip of Manhattan, as part of the Battery's re-landscaping, with the Jewish Tercentenary Monument added in 1955.

State Street was formerly known as Copsey Street, with this extremity of land known as Copsie Point in historical English accounts, drawing from either the possible Lenape toponym of Kapsee as recounted by Egbert Benson[4] (speculated as from "ahsënhake" meaning rocky ground,[5][6] with a similar etymology to Hackensack), or from the Dutch Capsie Hoek (cape point).

The size of the triangular site is approximately 125’x145’x160’ (38.1m x 44,2m x 48.8m), and occupies the original space of Peter Minuit Plaza, before the 21st century extension.

Programmatically, the center of the building houses more permanent and private functions and the tips are usually occupied by concession stands and the information booth which includes an interactive projection.

The building's form divides the plaza into four public outdoor spaces for a various functions and events and breaks up the heavily trafficked area with its befitting dynamic shape.

Glass allows views of the interior spaces providing glimpses of current installations and access to the Pavilion's concession stands and information booth.

The carbon footprint of some of the materials such as polyuria (commonly used in the making of spandex) and corian (made up of acrylic polymer and alumina trihydrate) used in the building's interior are questionable in regards to sustainability.