The temperature is heating up in Queens, and Socrates Sculpture Park is on fire!
The Long Island City green space unveils The Cubes during a special event on Friday, April 19, at 10 am.
Two-stories-high, the park’s first-ever permanent structure features 2,640 square feet of interior space with a 960-square-foot, multi-purpose indoor area where as many as 70 children can fit happily. Add to this a 480-square-foot outdoor deck, a roof with solar panels, and 1,200 square feet of office space.
The unveiling ceremony is free, and RSVP is not required.
“While The Cubes could no doubt stand alone as a wonderful architectural achievement, it will also provide indoor space,” stated Central Astoria LDC Executive Director Marie Torniali, who chaired Queens Community Board 1 until recently.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. added: “With The Cubes, the park and its dedicated staff will be able to touch the lives of residents from across Queens all year long.”
The Cubes began as a 720-square-foot, one-story education center at The Whitney Museum of American Art. The Manhattan museum donated it to Socrates during its 2014 relocation from the Upper East Side to Chelsea.
Then, the LOT-EK architecture studio added 12 upcycled shipping containers to create the modern version which fits perfectly with the park’s history of reclamation and revitalization. (During the 1970s and 1980s, Socrates was an abandoned landfill that had become an illegal dumping site. In 1986, a group of artists and local activists reclaimed it and turned it into a public space with help from NYC Parks Department.)
Funding for the $5,735,000 project came from the Queens Borough President’s Office, the City Council, and a generous private donation from Socrates Board Member Stuart Match Suna.
“I am proud to participate in Socrates Sculpture Park’s mission of bringing the Arts to the New York City community,” stated Suna. “Socrates’s programming for our local youth population is a critical asset to help foster creativity and innovation for a better future. I look forward to seeing what great work comes out of this space.”
Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue added: “The new administrative facilities…are the culmination of almost 30 years of work and advocacy from the community, and I’m so proud that they’re becoming a reality.”
Check out The Cubes near the main entrance at 32-01 Vernon Blvd.
Images: LOT-EK/Socrates Sculpture Park