If you go for a stroll one day through the Financial District, odds are that you will see this amazing work by Isamu Noguchi, a Japanese-American artist and architect. What makes this cube such an interesting work is it’s relation to environment surrounding it. The cube’s contemporary styling with its sharp angles and straight lines connect marvelously with the architecture of the financial district, which since 9-11-2001 has consisted of newer, modern office buildings and luxury apartments, as the area has experienced the largest boom in real estate development seen in decades (partially as a result of the destruction caused by the 9-11 attacks). An interesting feature of the cube is that when one peers through the hole in the center, they are presented with a view of the architectural lines of the building behind it, perhaps alluding that the cube was designed to have such an interesting connection to the buildings surrounding it.   

At the same time, the cube manages to differentiate itself from its surroundings, thanks to its bold color choice and its angular positioning, which leads to the lines on the cube being mostly diagonal, in sharp contrast with the vertical lines of the surrounding buildings. This meeting of something so similar but dissimilar at the same time is a breathtaking sight for anyone who just happens to pass by it.

Personally, the thing that I find most interesting  about the cube is something you can’t see. While viewing it, one might think it was a recent installation, perhaps not going back more than a few years at most. One would be wrong in thinking that however, as the cube was actually created in 1968. The idea that something could remain so relevant 45 plus years after its creation, and even more so have its main purpose, the connection to the surrounding area remain intact despite the rapid development in the area and the ever changing architectural taste of the times, is absolutely stunning.