Metronome (public artwork)

The massive public artwork you are approaching is called Metronome. Stretching across the facade of a building at the southern edge of Union Square, it stands as one of the most expensive and ambitious private commissions of public art in New York City history. Created by artists Kristin Jones and Andrew Ginzel, the installation was unveiled in 1999 as a complex meditation on time, incorporating elements like a massive pile of bedrock, a circular void that once puffed steam, and a prominent bronze hand. The hand itself is a direct, enlarged cast taken from the historic equestrian statue of George Washington located in the park directly across the street.