41 Cooper Square is a nine-story, 175,000-square-foot (16,300 m) academic center at Cooper Square, Manhattan, New York City, that houses Cooper Union's Albert Nerken School of Engineering with additional spaces for the humanities, art, and architecture departments. Designed by architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis, there is also an exhibition gallery and auditorium for public programs and retail space on the ground level. The building, originally known as the New Academic Building, stands on the site where Cooper Union's School of Art's former home, the Abram Hewitt Building, was located; the site of the former School of Engineering building was leased to a developer following the move to the new building. Construction of the building began in 2006 and was completed in September 2009. The project has been controversial in the East Village neighborhood where 41 Cooper Square is located.
