What is an icon?
An icon is something you see that immediately reminds you of a certain place, idea, or feeling. It sticks in your mind and carries meaning just by looking at it.
I picked the Columbus Circle Globe at 59th Street. When I commute to Manhattan and come out of the station there, I always look up at it. For me, it represents and is reminiscent of how international and diverse New York City is.
The globe was made by artist Kim Brandell and put up in 1996 in front of the Trump International Hotel and Tower. It looks similar to the bigger Unisphere in Queens from the 1964 World’s Fair. Today, it’s a famous landmark at Columbus Circle and a reminder of NYC’s global reach and diversity.
Sources:
Landmark West! Steel Globe, Columbus Circle Globe. Public Art Survey. 1996. https://www.landmarkwest.org/public-art-survey/steel-globe-columbus-circle-globe
Schulz, Dana. “20 Years Ago, the City Told Donald Trump He Couldn’t Put His Name on the Columbus Circle Globe.” 6sqft, October 27, 2016. https://www.6sqft.com/20-years-ago-the-city-told-donald-trump-he-couldnt-put-his-name-on-the-columbus-circle-glob
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