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New York, New York: Big 9 Sculpture

A large red number nine was designed by artist Ivan Chermayeff in 1974 to distract passersby from looking at the ugly reflection off the front of the sloping building at 9 West 57th Street.

Solow Building

Address:
9 West 57th St., New York, NY
Directions:
North side of West 57th Street between 5th and 6th Ave.
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Visitor Tips and News About Big 9 Sculpture

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Number Nine.

Big 9 Sculpture

Under construction -- couldn't get Number Nine from the correct side, but it shows why it was put there!

[Andrew, 06/08/2019]

Backwards it's equally dumb and distracting.

Number nine.

Big 9 Sculpture

This two-ton red sculpture of the digit 9, located at 9 West 57th Street in front of the Solow Building, was designed by graphic artist Ivan Chermayeff in 1974. It was included in the construction project as a response to the complaints that the building's sloping reflecting walls revealed unappealing sides of the neighboring historic buildings that were previously obscured. The brightly colored sculpture was to distract the eyes of passersby from noticing these walls.

[Jerome Strauss, 04/14/2012]

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In the region:
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