platform feature beavers, a tribute to John Jacob Astor, whose fortune was founded in beaver-pelt trading. The Peter Cooper Memorial by Augustus Saint Gaudens is one block south on Cooper Square. 21 Astor Place (also known as "Clinton Hall" and "13 Astor Place") stands on the site which was once the Astor Opera House. After the Astor Place riot, the building was turned over to the New York Mercantile Library, which used it until 1890, when they tore it down and built the current 11-story building. The Library left in 1932, and the building became the headquarters for a union. It has now been redeveloped into modern condominiums behind the original 19th century façade, an example of the technique of facadism. The Cooper Station Post Office, built in the 1920s, is just three blocks north. The last Kmart in Manhattan was located in Astor Place before its closure in July 2021. Gallery References External links Public Theater Demolished Broadway theatres The Astor Place Riot Pictures of the Cube being removed (The Cube was removed on March 8, 2005, restored, then returned on November 18, 2005.) Lincoln's Cooper Union Address Streets in Manhattan Astor family East Village, Manhattan Cooper Union