Developer Martin Ginsburg and Janet Langsam, CEO of ArtsWestchester, were among those welcoming a new sculpture on Aug. 24 to the space in front of 50 Main St., a gateway to White Plains diagonally across from the Metro-North Railroad station.
Since the mid-1980s, motorists and pedestrians had been used to seeing a work by sculptor Seward Johnson on the steps leading to the building”™s entrance. “First Case” depicted an attorney, complete with attaché case and legal documents.
That sculpture and another by Johnson were removed for restoration and subsequent continued display as part of Ginsburg”™s plan to introduce more art to the property that used to be known as the Westchester Financial Center.
Ginsburg, through his Ginsburg Development Cos., is reimagining the site as City Square, including converting office space into residential, adding retail and other pedestrian-friendly features and bringing new art to the insides and outside.
The new nearly 18-foot-tall sculpture, which is made of highly-polished stainless steel, is displayed on a pedestal at the entrance to the building. Titled “Fragments of Something Bigger,” the sculpture is the work of Bulgarian sculptor Georgi Minchev. In addition to the main sculpture, there is an adjacent smaller sphere.
“This form, together with the sphere, are one of the most communicative and understanding geometric forms for man,” Minchev said. He said he elected to use polished stainless steel because of its ability to reflect light.
Ginsburg and ArtsWestchester conducted a competitive process to select an artist and artwork to go in front of the building. Thirty-six artists participated in the competition.
From left in front of sculpture: ArtsWestchester Deputy Director Kathleen Reckling; Martin Ginsburg; and Janet Langsam.
Ginsburg said, “This exciting new sculpture is yet another example of how working in partnership with ArtsWestchester we are bringing outstanding public art to downtown White Plains and Westchester County.”
“Minchev”™s signature steel sculpture will welcome visitors to White Plains and feel fresh and new every time people pass by it due to the varied reflection of light off the sculpture”™s material,” Langsam said.
In addition to the modernizing 50 Main St., Ginsburg has transformed the former office building at 1 Martine Ave. into an apartment complex with a ground floor art gallery that”™s open to the public.
Other elements for the City Square project include new restaurant and retail space along Main Street and the creation of City Square Park, a private open space on the roof deck of the 1,000-space parking garage that connects all buildings and features fountains, waterfalls, walking paths, a putting green and outdoor dining in a 1-acre space.
