University Village (Manhattan)

University Village
The Silver Towers and 505 LaGuardia Place
General information
Type	Mixed-use (mostly residential)
Location	Bounded by Bleecker Street, Mercer Street, Houston Street, and LaGuardia Place Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Coordinates	40°43′36″N 73°59′55″W / 40.72667°N 73.99861°W / 40.72667; -73.99861
Construction started	August 12, 1964
Completed	1966
Opening	1967
Owner	New York University
Height
Roof	275 ft (84 m)[1]
Technical details
Floor count	30
Design and construction
Architect(s)	James Ingo Freed & I. M. Pei
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 18, 2008[2]
Reference no.	2300[2]

University Village is a building complex owned by New York University in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. University Village includes three residential towers built in the 1960s: 505 LaGuardia Place, a housing cooperative, and 100 Bleecker Street and 110 Bleecker Street (collectively referred to as the Silver Towers), which house NYU faculty and graduate students. The buildings were designed by modern architects James Ingo Freed and I. M. Pei, and they surround a central plaza with a sculpture by Carl Nesjar and Pablo Picasso. The complex also includes the John A. Paulson Center, a multipurpose building at 181 Mercer Street that was completed in 2021. The complex's original buildings and courtyard are a New York City designated landmark.

The redevelopment of the site was first proposed in 1949; a revised proposal called Washington Square Southeast was announced in 1953. The current site of University Village was originally the southernmost of three superblocks in Washington Square Southeast and was supposed to be part of the Washington Square Village project. Due to difficulties in developing Washington Square Village, NYU bought the southernmost superblock in 1960. University Village was developed between 1964 and 1966, and tenants moved into the buildings starting in 1967. The two NYU towers were renamed the Silver Towers in 1974, after NYU alumnus Julius Silver, and the Coles Sports and Recreation Center was built on the eastern portion of the site in 1981. During the 2000s, a fourth tower was proposed as part of a wide-ranging, controversial expansion plan for NYU. The original towers and central courtyard were protected as city landmarks in 2008, and the John A. Paulson Center was developed on the Coles site between 2016 and 2022.

University Village is bounded by Houston Street to the south, Mercer Street to the east, Bleecker Street to the north, and LaGuardia Place to the west. At the center of the complex is a courtyard with a concrete sculpture by Carl Nesjar, known as Bust of Sylvette. The grounds also include various pathways and lawns. The three original brutalist–style towers are 30 stories high, with concrete facades and recessed windows; they are arranged around the courtyard in a pinwheel configuration. The towers have a combined 535 apartments, each with one to four bedrooms. The John A. Paulson Center, at the eastern end of the site, is 23 stories tall and includes a sports center, academic space, faculty apartments, and student dormitories. The original buildings won several awards when they were completed, and they have received design commentary over the years.