Tribeca's long-awaited "Half Bean" sculpture is almost completely baked and visible to the general public.
A 19-foot-high piece of stainless steel could be completed by the end of summer, the project manager told The Post. This sculpture is the work of an Indian artist in Britain fromAnish Kapoor, the creator of the Cloud Gate in downtown Chicago, commonly known as the "Bean."
"We're really working hard to make that happen," said Mike O'Toole, an engineer at the Dash 7 Design company in Brooklyn. The
sculpture is located at the entrance to 56 Leonard St., a 57-story tower known as the Jenga Building with cantilever floors. It is pushed into the corner of the property under the overhang on the second floor, and the top of the reflective work is clearly visible above the green construction fence.
Work on the corner of Church Street has been in the planning stage since 2008. Construction began in 2019 but was stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Slow progress led to Monica in "Half Bean," but this work is also said to resemble a crushed balloon.
The silver structure is Chicago's luster Located in Millennium Park, which is smaller than a structure, the 33-foot-high version has become a major tourist attraction in the city.
However, unlike the free-standing version of Windy City, where visitors can walk down, some of the unnamed Tribeca sculptures are only visible to the cool occupants of the condo tower. .. Residents include singer Frank Ocean. Comedian Keegan-Michael Keysold a two-bedroom homefor $ 5 million last year.
The 85 ton engraving consists of a stainless steel plate supported by an internal rod and beam. According to Autour, these parts have been installed since October, and workers are smoothing out ripples in some places before the work is finally polished.
This work was commissioned by the Alexico Group, which developed the building, and reportedly cost more than $ 10 million.
Residents and passers-by are anxious to see the final result.
"I love Chicago stuff," Molly Forr said. "That is, in an urban sense, I like it in the corner. I think the reflection on it is a bit cool."
Grant Lewis working at nearby Starbucks He may be missing people by not being able to see the entire sculpture I said I thought I couldn't.
"If it's like a photo attraction, you'll probably want to walk around and see your reflections in all directions," he said. "So people may think they haven't got the full experience because they can only see from one side."
But one pedestrian who was walking by last week Was clearly embarrassed by the task.
"I thought the statue was stuck under the building, but I ended up leaving it there," said a woman named Mary Ann.
