East Village in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Peter Cooper Park
.229 acres
Despite his many successful ventures, Cooper failed in his bid for the presidency in 1876. Representing the Greenback party, he captured 81,737 popular votes. The real contest, however, Was between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Jones Tilden. Although Tilden won a majority of the popular vote, he lost the electoral college vote, 185 to 184, to Hayes in an election that was widely regarded as being stolen by the Republicans.
Cooper dedicated his life and wealth to philanthropy, to ensure that immigrants and children of the working class would have access to the education which he never had. Believing that education should be As (sic) free as water or air, in 1859 he established the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, a coeducational college which continues to provide students with full-tuition scholarships in architecture, art, and engineering. Celebrated features of the institution included a free reading room and the Great Hall. The latter provided the setting for one of Abraham Lincoln’s most important speeches in which he established his anti-slavery platform. He delivered it on February 27, 1860 during his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
Following Cooper’s death in 1863, Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), the preeminent 19th century sculptor and one of the earliest alumni of Cooper Union (class of 1864), was commissioned to design a monument in honor of the great visionary. St. Gaudens collaborated with the renowned architect Stanford White (1853-1906) who created the marble and granite canopy. The official dedication took place on May 29, 1897 at the northern end of Cooper Park.
The park was deeded to the city in 1828 for uses as a public space by Charles H. Hall, a descendant of Governor Peter Stuyvesant. Named Stuyvesant Square at the time it was acquired by Parks in 1850, it was referred to as Fourth Avenue Park when it was first planted in the late 1870s, and renamed Cooper Park in 1883. In the early 1900s, the park was redesigned, reconstructing the original walks, enclosing the park with an iron fence, and redesigning the stone periphery to form a continuous seat (this has since been eliminated). The reconstruction of the park in 1938 included destroying the underground comfort station and laying new walks.
More recent improvements have focused on making the park more beautiful and more accessible. The monument was restored in 1987 under the Adopt-a-Monument program, a joint project of the Municipal Art Society, the Art Commission, and Parks & Recreation. In February 1999, Commissioner Stern and Cooper Union President John Jay Iselin celebrated the 140th anniversary of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commemorating the legacy of Peter Cooper. As of the summer on 1999, new benches and daytime access have opened Cooper Square to all of its neighbors.
City of New York Parks & Recreation
Michael R. Bloomberg, mayor
Adrian Benepe, Commissioner
www.nyc.gov/parks
Text Written: July 1999
Erected 1999 by City of New York Parks & Recreation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education • Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine. A significant historical date for this entry is February 27, 1860.
Location. 40° 43.736′ N, 73° 59.432′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in East Village. Marker is on 3rd Avenue near East 7th Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 57 3rd Avenue, New York NY 10003, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Peter Cooper (a few steps from this marker); A Tower Of Music (within shouting distance of this marker); The Cooper Union (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Cooper Union (within shouting distance of this marker); Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Astor Library (about 400 feet away); Paresis Hall (about 400 feet away); 27 Cooper Square (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
Also see . . .
1. Peter Cooper. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on November 1, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Peter Cooper family gravesite. Find A Grave website entry:
Another illustrious resident of Green-Wood Cemetery. (Submitted on November 1, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 1, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 239 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 1, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 5. submitted on December 7, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 6. submitted on November 1, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.