Originally constructed in 1968, the Jakob K. Javits Federal Building Plaza, which sits in Foley Square in Lower Manhattan — at Worth and Lafayette Streets — is a triumph over its past design trials and errors. Its most recent renovation uses Stony Creek pink granite and Vermont Danby white marble — both from the Northeastern U.S. to welcome visitors and maintain the Federal Building’s civic formality.
Among some of the more notorious designs in the past, a 1981 project included a 12-foot-tall sculpture named “Tilted Arc.” This stretched for 120 feet, dividing the plaza, and many New Yorkers considered it to be unappealing, as it ruined views and made the plaza difficult to cross. The sculpture was dismantled in 1989 and since then, the plaza has seen a number of renovations, culminating with the latest project, which ties the plaza to the surrounding neighborhood.