Experience the one-acre Piazza at Trinity Place, a new landmark pathway between Market and Mission streets. Home to Lawrence Argent's renowned sculptural art, the centerpiece is "Venus," a breathtaking 92-foot stainless steel sculpture. "Venus" transforms the Piazza into a place of mystery and evolving meaning. Titled "C’era Una Volta" ("Once Upon A Time"), this installation re-envisions classical beauty using contemporary digital technologies. Explore the historical fragments woven throughout the garden and walkways. Visit Trinity Place’s Piazza today and immerse yourself in this unique blend of history and modern art.
Designed by renowned artist Lawrence Argent, C’era Una Volta presents a unique collection of contemporary art inspired by European antiquities, including the famed Venus de Milo, a Greek sculpture that has been revered as an icon of beauty for two millennia; carved sculptures from Hellenistic Greece through neo-classical times, mosaics from Pompeii; and Italy’s legendary Pietrasanta marble quarries. Argent describes the collection as creating an experience that is an amalgam of the whole, multiple points of discovery that come alive as one walks through the piazza, revealing more with each visit. Venus, artist Lawrence Argent’s interpretation of the classic Venus de Milo sculpture, reigns as the centerpiece of C’era Una Volta. Argent’s Venus stands 92 feet tall, slightly shorter than the Statue of Liberty’s 111.5 feet measured from heel to crown, and 35 feet wide at the shoulders. Graceful and expressive, the statue is made of stainless steel sections welded together by many skilled artisans using a highly specialized technique that renders all seams undetectable.
Mosaic & Bollards
A mosaic path, artfully rendered to reveal a new view with every step, extends into the sidewalk on Market Street, inviting pedestrians into the piazza. The mosaic path was inspired by a Pompeiian pattern and transformed with digital imaging. Custom-designed seven-foot glass bollards with illuminated hollow centers serve as dramatic showcases for sculptures within the glass. The decorative bollards, which weigh 8,000 pounds each, are located along the mosaic path connecting Market Street to Mission Street.
Seven Carved Boulders
Artist Lawrence Argent designed a modern interpretation of icons of classical beauty with seven individual gigantic boulders revealing interpretive carvings of these forms. Buried beneath the surface of the blocks are these carvings, which evoke images of buried geologic antiquities carefully unearthed at an excavation site.
The Table
A 20-seat Carrara marble table encourages people to gather for lunch or to meet friends in the lively piazza. To give the table “movement” and create the sense of gathering at a friend’s home, Argent added a “ripple” along the marble tabletop, creating the impression of a large tablecloth naturally creased in the center.
The Gates
The gates form an enchantingly intricate bronze pattern inspired by the ancient street map of Genoa, Italy.