LentSpace

LentSpace is a temporary outdoor art space and sculpture garden located in Hudson Square, Lower Manhattan, New York City. The space opened in September 2009 at the northwest corner of Canal Street and Sullivan Street and abutting Juan Pablo Duarte Square to the east. It is bounded by Varick Street to the west and Grand Street to the north. Across Canal Street, to the south, is Albert Capsouto Park.

The block occupied by LentSpace is part of a parcel of land granted to Trinity Church by Queen Anne in 1705. In the years prior to the park's opening in 2009, the church's development company demolished a number of buildings previously located on the site.

The land is owned by Trinity Church and is slated for eventual development but the 2007 financial crisis caused a significant slowdown in the New York real estate market. The church negotiated a deal with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) to use the idle space for a period of about three years.

LMCC raised about $1 million to transform the empty lot into a space to promote art in the neighborhood.Interboro Partners of Brooklyn designed the landscape, incorporating inexpensive materials such as gravel and plywood, reflecting the temporary nature of the space. The park is surrounded by a fence, the eastern edge of which is decorated with small, reflective aluminum disks. The interior features planters, benches and straight paths.

The inaugural show in the space was entitled "Points and Lines" and featured seven installations by Graham Hudson, Eli Hansen and Oscar Tuazon, Ryan Tabor, Tobias Putrih, Olga Chernysheva, Corban Walker and Oliver Babin. The pieces all referenced civic design and construction techniques, using materials such as flagpoles, ladders, concrete and steel.

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