Nicole McGuire-Activity 7

Nicole McGuire
Activity # 7

The plaza that I visited and observed was the Chase Manhattan Plaza. It’s a banking skyscraper, and it’s located financial district and it overlooks Pine, Liberty, Nassau, and Williams Street. At first I was overwhelmed by the huge building that has 60 floors, and I was not exactly expecting to see that huge building. It’s the 11th tallest building in New York City, and it’s filled with workers who obviously work for Chase Bank. Even though there was construction being done on the plaza I was still able to observe the different things that were going on.

The first thing that attracted my attention from afar was the sculpture called “Group of Four Trees”. It attracted my attention because of how large the sculpture is and how it’s in black and white and at a first glance it actually looks like a bunch of mushrooms. The second thing that attracted my attention was the huge circle, and when you look down it is a water sculpture made by Noguchi. The circle was right in the middle of the plaza where people can look down. When you do look down there are windows all over, that people from the inside of the building from the ground level can also see the sculpture and see the people that are standing on top. At first it looks as if it’s a reflection of the other people on the opposite side of the circle until you look across and realize its different people. Mainly the people that were at this plaza were the worker’s of Chase. It was a nice day outside and mostly people were standing around chatting about their jobs or their family. A lot of people were looking down at the waterfalls and other’s were just observing their surroundings. A lot of people were taking their cigarette breaks or eating lunch and enjoying the warm sun. “We discovered some plazas, especially at lunch time, attracted a lot of people” (Whyte, 13). It was pretty busy considering that it was 12 in the afternoon, but I am assuming this is when most people were taking their lunch breaks.

If you look at the space of the plaza, at first glance it does not seem very inviting because their really is no exact place to sit. Some people were trying to sit comfortably on the ledges near the trees planted in these rectangular squares, but it is obvious that this space was not meant for people to lounge around. It seems as if it was designed just to give the building a nice look. “During peak hours the number of people on a plaza will vary considerably according to seasons and weather. The way people distribute themselves over the space, however, will be fairly consistent, with some sectors getting heavy use day in and out, others much less” (Whyte, 17).There were other places to sit around the area, but it seems as if the people did not want to leave far from their post. This space is very different though because you can see what the people are doing around you and even inside on the ground floor. This space was really just meant to be looked at and nothing more. “The preference for pillars might be ascribed to some primeval instinct: you have a full view of all comers but your rear is covered” (Whyte, 20).

As I said before there is no exact sitting space and there were no trees located next to the circle but there was some located around the plaza. But a lot of the people were standing around the circle over the bars just looking at the fountain. “They show an inclination to station themselves near objects, such as a flagpole or statue.” (Whyte, 20). There was no food located right on the plaza grounds, and there was water but you were not close to it because it was really far from the ground. The people on the ground level also were not close to the water because they were enclosed by the windows. A few feet away from the plaza there were different places to eat at such as fast food restaurants or hot dog stands. Inside the plaza seemed restricted and was only for the people who worked inside the building. Looking from the inside looking out seemed more comfortable because you could get a better view of the Noguchi design and it was only for the worker’s view. So if you’re standing there you probably feel more secure because you know that the other people standing around also work in the building. On the outside of the plaza there was a wall that seems as if it is blocking out the public. It was probably made that way to make it look like a private space and to keep the “undesirables” out.

As I was walking around the plaza I did not really see any exact surveillance mechanisms in the area. There might have been hidden cameras throughout the plaza that were not noticeable. I did see a few guards walking around but they seemed as if they were also on their lunch break. There was a man standing a few inches away who accidently dropped his cell phone into the fountain but there was nothing the security guards could really do, since the phone was most likely dead anyways. The guards were not really patrolling the area and many people were taking up the sitting spaces available to the public by lying down and taking their afternoon naps. “When a place is jammed, a person sits where he can. This may or may not be where he most wants to” (Whyte, 17).

When you are looking from the street the plaza does not seem public at first because its higher above the ground and is surrounded by a wall that you could see through. “What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people. If I belabor the point, it is because many urban spaces are being designed as though the opposite were true, and that what people liked best were the places they stayed away from” (Whyte, 18). Even though anyone is allowed on the plaza, I do not think that anyone can just go inside the building. I did see some guards check for I.D.’s, so it seems that this building is privately managed. I did not try to get into the building because I forgot my I.D. at home, but when you are looking down towards the window, it seemed as if it was just workers looking through the windows. I did not see any exact signs that stated that this plaza was privately managed, but the tall building being separate from the public street made it feel private. The different architectural designs make it feel more public because anyone is allowed to view these different sculptures since they were made for the public’s eye.

As I was sitting there, I realized that there were also a lot of other people taking notes or maybe just writing poems about strangers. I would not say I felt comfortable, but I also did not feel uncomfortable. Everyday I analyze people and I realize that most people are similar in what they do. Some people sing to themselves, others talk to themselves, and everyone has a unique way of walking or carrying themselves. I felt that a lot of people were looking at me because I was just walking around looking lost. One woman even came over to me and asked me if I was lost. I actually found that kind of funny because she actually made me feel like a tourist in my own city.