State Senator Brad Hoylman, center, above, and William Kelley, the executive director of the Village Alliance business improvement district, got a kick out of a young “Cube” fan at the Nov. 1 celebration of the 50th anniversary of “Alamo” a.k.a. “The Cube,” Bernard “Tony” Rosenthal’s iconic public-art sculpture at Astor Place. The birthday bash was presented by the Village Alliance, in partnership with the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, and was attended by hundreds. Three birthday cakes were custom designed and baked by Agata & Valentina; each chocolate cake with buttercream filling was wrapped in black frosting with the top featuring an image of “Alamo” printed on edible paper. There was also 50 minutes of nonstop “Cube” spinning — as everyone knows, the 1-ton sculpture is spinnable — to benefit the Astor Place-based charity the GO Project, also celebrating its 50th, and more than $1,100 was raised. Jim Power, “The Mosaic Man,” was also on hand to tell tale of how he began his legendary “Mosaic Trail” of decorated lampposts almost 30 years ago. “The Cube” was originally intended to be in place for just six months for the 1967 New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Sculpture and Environmental Festival. State Senator Hoylman proclaimed that Nov. 1 forever will be known as “Alamo Appreciation Day.”
